Kingstanding Wellbeing Centre

Location: Kingstanding Wellbeing Centre, Dulwich Road, B44 0EW

Opening Times: Various. Please check the website here for more details (new timetable is coming into use from July 2018)

Prices: If you pay your council tax to Birmingham City Council, you are entitled to a BeActive Card which entitles you to free swimming at certain times. I paid under £5 for entry for me and Matilda.

Kingstanding Leisure Centre (as it used to be called), has always held fond memories for me. It was where my mum took me to swimming lessons after school. I collected all my swimming badges here and have some amazing memories of playing on the white Swan slide and also the big tube slide at the back of the swimming baths. My mum once came down the slide and her swimming costume popped off at the front revealing all her chest. How we did laugh. Or should I say, how we do laugh, as it still makes me chuckle today. They even (when I was a child) used to blow up a big inflatable slide which they put at the back by the main wave bit. I’ve no idea if they still do this. They had a water gun on the side too that you could shoot people with.

I haven’t been for over 20 years, so you can imagine the feelings I had taking Matilda there on Thursday. So much history.

Well, the pool and changing rooms have undergone a renovation and although the centre from the outside looked the same and the layout of the pool was the same, it was nice to see new, clean and tidy changing rooms and a brand new toddler section.

Changing Rooms

The changing rooms have been completed to a high standard. White with a splash of colour around the place. Much to my happiness, it is family changing, so men and women are both in the same section, meaning mum (or dad) doesn’t have to do the changing of a child alone, you can all share a cubicle. There are plenty of cubicles to get changed in and a selection of four baby changing rooms complete with baby changing tables (the pull down ones on the wall).

The main room has a number of small square cots to place babies/children in, to keep them in one place whilst you get ready yourself.

At the end of the changing rooms you find a number of lockers which you will need a pound coin to use. It is returned when you reopen your locker.

As you can see from the picture, Matilda was impressed.

The Swimming Pool

If you used to attend Kingstanding Leisure Centre, you will remember the White Swan Slide? In its place now is a large divers helmet which hosts a number of water features including jet sprays, buckets to tip upside down, wheels to turn, little doors to open and close to block the water and let it out AND a new slide… A blue slide (picture courtesy of Kingstanding Wellbeing Centres Facebook Page).

Matilda loved playing in this section and she laughed so much. I’m unsure how many times she went on the little slide and played with the divers helmet.

We also went walking/swimming in the main pool. Matilda enjoyed that it was like a beach, getting deeper the further she waded out. A perfect pool for children of all ages.

The website says that the wave machine is still in use, but sadly it wasn’t when we were in the pool. Hopefully next time we go, Matilda will be able to experience that.

We had so much fun together in the pool and Matilda can’t wait to come back and show her sister.

Thank you Kingstanding Wellbeing Centre for updating and changing bits of the services, but for keeping it the way I remember it to be as a child. My fond memories of you, continue. It’s nice to see my own child play in the pool I learnt to swim in.

Hey, if you liked this review or maybe were inspired to try this out because of my post, you can always buy me or the kids a drink or a slice of cake on our next big trip! Just hit the button below, if you want to. 🙂

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