GLL is to open an extreme sports facility at Barking Sporthouse and Gym next week (5 May), featuring London’s biggest indoor skate park and a unique climbing wall, as the operator bids to broaden its leisure appeal.

The skate park will offer more than 900sq m (9,688sq ft) of skate ramp terrain, with a beginners’ area and street zone with ledges, ‘flat bars’ and ‘Euro-gaps’, and London’s first key-hole Birchwood bowl. On the same day, GLL will also launch a Vertical Playground climbing facility designed to be multi-generational, appealing to both children and adults alike.

The Barking Sporthouse and Gym site, which is operated under GLL's 'Better' brand, has been undergoing significant development and will also soon feature east London’s first ever indoor trampoline park

“We understand the need to support young people in pursuing an active, healthy lifestyle by taking part in the activities they enjoy like skating and climbing – and we know there is not enough indoor skate facilities in London for them to be able to do this,” said GLL director of development Chris Symons.

“The new flagship facility sees GLL going beyond our core leisure offering, diversifying into a number of new alternative sports activities that will soon be available in other facilities that we operate across the UK.”

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