Our contractor is making good progress. The steelwork forming the new gym buildings is now in place and the walls surrounding the large gym have also been completed. As a result, it is now very easy to see how the gyms will look - they will be great spaces.

The last few weeks have not however been without difficulties. The steelwork has been very well designed and fabricated and fitted together perfectly but ours was the last job the steel sub-contractor completed before going into liquidation. It has taken a lot of time to sort this out and we would have liked to have been where we are now a few weeks earlier.

We are now through this and the contractor is, at the time of writing this update, attaching cleats to the beams and, by the time this update is published, members walking down Spring Passage will be able to see the purlins being attached to the cleats, forming a framework over the steel and walls, ready to receive the cladding.

The cladding sub-contractor has been visiting the site to take numerous measurements to ensure that the insulated cladding panels are fabricated by the manufacturer to the exact sizes required. There is a huge amount of work in detailing the cladding with connections and interfaces with windows, glazing, guttering, ventilation units and louvres. We are working very hard with the contractor and its supply chain to have the cladding contractor on site and ready to go as soon as the purlins have been attached. If you look at the photographs carefully you will see the cleats being fixed and some of the purlins fixed in place already.

Members will be able to see the disabled access ramp being constructed in the entrance courtyard. This will be paved and faced with bricks to tie in with the general appearance of the courtyard. The cycle racks have had to be removed; there will be provision for bicycles when the re-development has been completed and members are asked to bear with us until then.