Pontypool Active Living Centre

Positive experience: I've only been going a few weeks. Nice pool. But very busy on weekends, which is when most are off work or school. So a bit difficult, to swim when children are splashing about. If they sectioned off the top end of the pool (deep end) and created lanes across the width of the pool, then swimmers could swim better, and children could splash about without swimmers in their way. I hope management reads this and implements a small change for the better.

Negative experience: Awful. Went to go for a swim as per their advertised public swim times on a Sunday however when I got there, there was a swimming competition on so couldn't go for a swim! Nowhere was this stated on their website. Absolutely ridiculous. The toilets were also absolutely disgusting and the changing rooms were really dirty. Will never go again

Positive experience: Great coffee in the cafe but too expensive for a casual sip after activity and not a great venue to make a visit just for coffee. £3.70 for a flat white. Not enough choice in something to go with it. Parking can be tricky in the afternoon, especially about 3pm when people park there to collect their kids from the school nearby. Some working folks leave their cars there all day. No checks. Standby for future parking rules

Positive experience: Busy here all day doing readings

Positive experience: Used the squash courts. Far away and long ago, I played Premier League Squash for Pontypool. They had 4 courts back then. Only 4 stars as the courts are much colder than when I played team squash there when Adam was a boy!!

Fantastic experience: My first visit to this facility, situated in the grounds of pontypool Park. It's impossible to get bored here. There's literally so much to do, including the nearby ski slope

Fantastic experience: Two pools make this a good option with small children. Also has a decent cafe.

Positive experience: Very relaxed after sauna

Negative experience: The staff are amazing, but there is seven machines out of order in the gym and the screens on the three rowing machines do not work!!!

Positive experience: Bought a hot drink was shocked by the prices, extortionate for a leisure centre.

Fantastic experience: Ideal venue for pulmonary rehabilitation course.

Positive experience: My recent experience visiting the small learning pool - the pool temperature was very cold, in a pool that should be used for little ones could do with being kept at a moderately warmer temperature. Greatly accessible, and easy to book. Could potentially do with a little bit of life added into the smaller pool area, although slightly nostalgic, the Disney character mural on the wall has been there for at least 25 years, tiles could maybe do with a freshen up also. Not knocking the facility in the slightest as it is very much needed, appreciated and utilised. If with a young person full water suit may be better to allow for a longer time in the water learning and or playing. Will return, but worth others knowing

Negative experience: A load of rubbish.

Fantastic experience: OMG, customer service was second to none. What a pleasant man on the desk! *cough

Negative experience: Reviewing the cafe…extortionate prices!! £3.50 for a small ice cream pot…£2.25 for a little choc cookie…£3.50 for a latte…. What cost of living crisis?? Come on pontypool leisure centre bosses…you can do soooo much better…

Fantastic experience: Friendly place plenty of activities.

Fantastic experience: Love the swimming pool

Positive experience: Good soft play

Fantastic experience: We went for the family fun swim and my boys loved it

Fantastic experience: Review for pool only. Excellent modern pool facilities with a very large changing room. Everything is clean and fresh. Can't fault it.

Fantastic experience: I'm really enjoying going to exercise classes there

Fantastic experience: Good place for a cuppa and snacks, but a long queue owing to a shortage of staff. Can also be very noisy. More staff now, but big increase in prices.

Fantastic experience: Gym great. Took my 13 and 15 Yr old sons and they really enjoyed it too. Nice and quiet at 5pm on a Friday

Negative experience: Appalling customer service. Tried to get my son’s (valuable) lost property back and they could not care less. A string of ridiculous excuses why they.could not help, no empathy or willingness to listen, just a robotic response from the truly unhelpful Mandy Price. I hope she never loses something precious and has to deal with similar.

Positive experience: Modern leisure centre, cafe, preschool, gym

Fantastic experience: Always trying their best to make good of run down Pontypool.

Positive experience: I think it could be kept cleaner. a lot of teenagers in there smoking vapes swearing I was there with my grandchildren doing swimming lessons

Negative experience: Bought food for my son here and for £3.50 was given a packet of crisps a cheese sandwich and a carton of drink. That's it. Really disappointed especially given the price! Also was charged 50p for some boiling water to warm up my daughter's bottle.

Fantastic experience: Excellent service and entertainment

Positive experience: Our go to place for swimming, however it's hard to tell which pools will be open for each session and the lockers are temperamental at best. I can't fault the hygiene here though

Fantastic experience: Lovley place lovley people

Fantastic experience: Great local facility

Fantastic experience: Clean and tidy and has everything that I want to use in the gym

Negative experience: Google says closes at 4 , woman at desk let us in for 5 minutes and then very rudely kicks us out because “it’s closing” at 3 and proceeds to say it’s been this was for ages

Negative experience: Really really dissapointed. Haven't been swimming for over 20 years, but I decided to take my daughter. Lockers are 50p (not £1 like most places) I didn't notice this until I was undressed. I asked a few others if they had change, to which no one did. I had to walk through to reception in my towel, not exactly ideal. Maybe a sign on reception or clear on the front of the lockers, not just a tiny sign when you open the locker door. We finally get into the pool, and it's freezing, I mean, I DID NOT warm up for the whole time we were there. The fire doors were wide open & it was blowing a gale outside, it was not an enjoyable experience for both of us. I realised I'd forgotten the armbands out of the locker so I went to get them only to realise you don't get your money back. WTH! How on earth can you do that to people in this current climate? So I had to put yet another 50p to keep my things safe. 50p to take my own armbands out of a locker, SHOCKING! NO SIGNS ANYWHERE saying you don't get your money back either, & I heard a few other people moaning about this too. Unbelievable! Needless to say we didn't stay the full hour as it was just TOO COLD, so got out. We then went to the cafe £1 down from the locker only to be told there was no food being served for another 30 minutes as there was only 1 person on the till, the other person was on break. So overall it wasn't a very good trip, and we won't be coming back sadly.

Fantastic experience: Great place for exercise or leisure! The park is great and nice little cafe too

Positive experience: Lovely staff, clean and nice place. But wasn't notified that lockers take your money and you can't use them either way. Lost £3 in total to the lockers, wasn't impressed. My mother struggles with her weight, skin and lungs. Still got social distancing in the swimming lanes. Didn't say on website hence why we went thinking it'll be easier. She struggled and wasn't allowed to stop to take breath when seriously struggling. She was told to sit on the side, she hates her skin as she has a skin condition and she hates her body weight. Yes i TOTALLY understand covid rules to protect other. But lost two stars as no warning for lockers swallowing your money and no information on the website about the distancing swimming. Was swimming 7 minutes and she was upset. I wouldn't go again until covid rules have been removed, many of the girls complained in the pool that it's horrible trying to keep 2 meters swimming from each other. won't go back till covid is gone.

Positive experience: Average facility, it really needs the Water Slides reinstated.

Negative experience: 50p for a locker that none refundable! No signs to say when loading up locker so amazing when you forget to put in a shoe and the staff answer was its no refundable! Hope we never have to do a gala here again! 50p for 5seconds of storing my families stuff!

Positive experience: Not to bad

Fantastic experience: Went for swimming competition every thing was good for a council ran facility

Positive experience: Nice coffee while my daughter was swimming.

Negative experience: Signs everywhere to take your shoes off before entering the changing rooms people still had there shoes on including staff.

Fantastic experience: We went for my son's swimming lessons he has some learning difficulties, and they make him feel included. The class is fun and engaging for the toddler's. I would highly recommend to anyone with toddler's.

Positive experience: Nice and easy. Book in advance. Straight in the pool. No hanging about, no fuss

Fantastic experience: Good sports center

Positive experience: Cafe poor

Fantastic experience: Very very clean. We were all checked on entry with a temperature gun. The venue is very well organised. Loads of activities.

Fantastic experience: Nice quirky place. Shane is a very good physio and a thoroughly nice bloke.

Fantastic experience: I went there to use the Gym. Really nice place. Friendly staff who are very helpful

Fantastic experience: First class liesure facility. Well equipped with a superb range of classes. Above all, the staff and instructors are absolutely brilliant. Well worth the monthly subscription. Fee.

Fantastic experience: Amazing team of staff. Lovely clean facilities. What more do you want.

Positive experience: Playground ideal for children up 12 years. Lovely walks and indoor sports centre with swimming pool.

Fantastic experience: Great play park and open green spaces.

Fantastic experience: Easy access good for kids

Positive experience: Good park although heavy traffic and specific branch of youths gather behind the building.... otherwise nice for a walk or running.

Fantastic experience: Lovely park. Toddler teaching pool was great and quie spacious. Great covid management.

Fantastic experience: Went for my covid jab. Quick easy and no fuss. Though the traffic when I came out was mental from the school buses and cars using the centres carpark. Would avoid 3.30pm

Fantastic experience: Very enjoyable limited numbers so book early

Fantastic experience: Beautiful park, lovely walks. Cafe basic but nice for a cuppa and a chat.

Positive experience: Still not open properly

Positive experience: Restarted the opening where it left off all good we'll attended classes. Social distancing a priority along with hygiene

Fantastic experience: Fantastic staff, temp checks before entry, sanitisation stations throughout building, great to be back training.

Fantastic experience: So glad to be back to class with everything so well organised

Fantastic experience: i agree

Fantastic experience: The staff here are very kind and helpful and work hard to keep the centre clean and welcoming as well as safe. The facilities are very good and there is an excellent range of activities for all ages. It is in the beautiful setting of Pontypool Park with parking and bus stops very handy.

Positive experience: Great local centre I wish the gym was bigger as can get crowded at busy times.

Fantastic experience: I have a good time exercising at the leisure centre, benefiting from gym, various classes such as pilates, yoga, aerobics, HIIT and body pump training, Zumba, Tai chi, go cycling, swimming and health suite with sona, steam room and jacuzzi. The staff and the instructors are lovely, caring and very helpful. Great place for socialising with the wonderful community around a coffee, a hot chocolate and a cake or a nice sandwich. And if you have kids, there is a nursery and the playground outside. Everyone should invest in their well-being, their social life and have a treat there, I recommend it!

Fantastic experience: One of the best organisations for following Covid guidelines- feels safe

Fantastic experience: Every thing is being done properly.

Fantastic experience: It was very nice and clean and welcoming there

Positive experience: Friendly staff, good facilities. Treadmills need spacing out more though

Fantastic experience: great place to go to gym lovely people

Fantastic experience: Very well organised had our temperature taken hand sanitizer shown which way to get into changing room had a very enjoyable hr with my grandchildren and family staff explained how to get out of leisure centre thankyou.

Fantastic experience: You guy's are amazing...you all work so hard .... it's great to be back...big thank you to you ALL

Fantastic experience: Great lane swimming, felt very safe

Fantastic experience: Went swimming it was well organised and safe

Fantastic experience: Glad to see this event back on calendar it was great 20+years ago and back on brilliant

Positive experience: No free swim for over 60's anymore as the funding has been cut since October! However, still less than £5 for me and my 6 year old grandson. Good value. Helpful staff.

Negative experience: I was accused of doing a front flip if they was watching clearly I didn’t. They kicked me out 2h ealier

Fantastic experience: Great place for adults and kids alike well run staff friendly

Fantastic experience: Nice restront in center lovely walks around park great for dog waking also no problem to take dogs into restront

Fantastic experience: Amazing venues has become an asset thanks to new management. Slides for kids to do

Negative experience: Arranged and attended event. Room was great size. Problems with audio equipment. Half hour into event exercise class started in room above. The noise from the music, the thump thump thump disrupted the event considerably. Made us look very unprofessional. Would never use this event unless there were guarantees there would be no disruptions during discussion events.

Negative experience: We had to leave this centre after many years, became too expensive

Positive experience: Please please please fix the lockers and add more bag hooks in the changing rooms!

Negative experience: It is nothing like the pic

Positive experience: Friendly staff in cafeteria very helpful and all staff appear efficient

Fantastic experience: My favourite place to train

Fantastic experience: Very helpful and friendly staff who encourage you to take part.

Positive experience: A bit disappointed reduced time in pool

Positive experience: I use the gym facilities here, everything is clean and pleasant. The staff if friendly and helpful if you have any questions. There is a range of activites to do at the centre, swimming and the gym to name a few. There is also a park outside which is child friendly as well as a skate park. There is a small cafe too!

Negative experience: Pools too cold... even small pool is too cold when its designed 2 b warmer

Positive experience: Great place for kids

Fantastic experience: Spin classes with fantastic instructors

Positive experience: Park, soft play, pool.

Positive experience: Took my granddaughter swimming lesson

Fantastic experience: So much choice of well priced activities

Negative experience: Disgusting changing facilities and well over priced.

Positive experience: Great place all round for all the family. Outdoor park, skate park, large fields and woods for a good Walk with the dog. Indoor soft play at great value, handy cafe, loads of exercises classes, large swimming pool with baby pool on the side. 3 hydra slides which are on during family play time, gym has fantastic equipment. The health suite can get far too busy but it's located in the best place unlike Cwmbrans. Only downer is the changing rooms for us. When going there swimming with 2 kids and changing with a toddler I need a large locker and a larger changing cubicle but they always seem to be in use, the whole changing area needs updating and finding a locker that works is a challenge. But overall a place I go very often and enjoy and makes it great value along side my membership.