Newmarket Leisure Centre

Negative experience: Staff friendly but we thought we would try here for swimming over our usual in Ely. Changing rooms actually stink of poo it's disgusting.

Negative experience: I visited with my son on February 2, 2025, at 12:00 PM. While waiting in line at the reception, the staff member (female) served others around me, even after I reached the front. At one point, she even called out, asking if anyone else needed service, while I was still standing there. I remained composed, but I sincerely hope no one else experiences this. I strongly believe there was some racial bias involved—please review your CCTV footage.

Negative experience: Filthy!!! Seeing as it had a refurb not many years ago and new soft play, Abbeycroft let themselves down with the lack of cleanliness!! Dust everywhere and just feels grimy. Dread to think what it will be like in another couple of years. Sort it out Abbeycroft! Customer service is appalling and when you email they never respond: this isn’t just Newmarket, it’s the whole company.

Positive experience: I just needed somewhere quiet to sit whilst waiting for a couple hours early afternoon. Nice cafe area reasonably priced coffee and very nice cake. Clean toilets. It got a bit loud when schools out.

Negative experience: This once lovely pub building was bought and turned into Islamic centre 4 years ago. No maintence has been carried out and the upstairs window had been broken 4 years and still not repaired. The place is an eyesaw. All the people who go here could surely maintain it or contribute an amount of money to get it maintained. Filthy place.

Negative experience: Bad drivers speeding in and out of driveway. Maybe some speed bumps? Razor wire? Or just stop Audi drivers?

Negative experience: The only good thing about the public areas at Newmarket Leisure center are the front of house staff, in particular the lady's who work the cafe. UNFORTUNATELY THE CLEANLINESS OF THE PUBLIC AREAS ARE SHOCKING. Motorway service station toilets keep a better cleaning standard than Abby croft do. The management of Newmarket leisure centre should be ashamed of the just enough methods they employ. The changing rooms do get cleaned, however it's is not uncommon to see litter in the morning and for it to still be there in the late afternoon. I have even had to remove tools that have been left out on the floor. First noticing them in the changing rooms at 10am and then again at 5pm. All day children's swimming lessons had been taking place. An example how cleaning is not a priority. Worst still is the public viewing seating area. It feels like this area gets a monthly sweep, wether it's needs it or not! Mess and debris that are there one week will often be there for the second. Giving feed back through the web site has literally taken weeks to see results. I would say the overall standard of cleanliness is akin to that of a 14 year old boy. The stainless steel rails are a rusty nightmare, all but the most often touched section of metal are so rusty you have to actively keep your children away from them or make peace with the rust stains clothes they will be wearing. Currently if you take a look at the wall opposite the steps to top row of seats in the small pool viewing area. There is a standing section. On the wall are the slowly fading hand prints of some unsuspecting sole who must have lent against the rail and then tried to wipe the rust off thier hand on the wall. It has been rather telling as to the cleaning practice of the Leisure Centre, watching the marks slowly fade. It would not surprise me to hear the cleaning takes a back seat to managing staff hours. It is quite clear from the number of canceled swimming lessons or the need to sometimes only open half a pool due to the lack of life guards. The rota is kept to the absolute minimum, so that any sickness or missed shift results in members missing out. From here It is not so hard to imagine jobs like cleaning might not be given the time they require. I have been driven to write this review because today I took my daughter to the toilet. Out of the three to choose from, two were out of order. The one we could use has the most horrible poragrghic image penned onto the wall. The same wall was missing it's soap dispenser and the toilets wood work is so worn it looks like it found on the floor at a building site. On returning home I was informed over dinner that the artistry of a massive cock had been donning that particular wall for the last few weeks. My wife was greated by the phallic curiosity a couple of weeks ago and had to explain it's presents to our 6 year old, who bless them, thought it was someone doing maths on the wall. The leisure centre should be a safe and secure environment for all, a hub for the community. Given the cost of membership it should also, at the very least, be clean. Both on the floor and the walls.

Negative experience: Consistently have 1 lane closed in the pool and putting the medium speed lane down to a single lane. As everyone in this lane does breast stroke it is impossible to swim without being punched or kicked. I like to book a lane swim but it tends to end up being a lane float. Not worth going.

Fantastic experience: Lovely pool temperature normally spot on but sometimes you get treated to hot tub effect which is luvely, staff pretty good and helpful and polite. Not tried gym and other areas but definitely worth the money

Negative experience: Suzanne, left the front desk unattended. She arrived 15 minutes later. Didn’t even acknowledge me standing there with my 6 year old son and 1 year old daughter. In my arms. She proceed to talk to her male colleague for a further 10 minutes. When she finally finished her conversation. I introduced myself and why I was there. There was no, sorry I’ve keep you waiting. Manners cost nothing. I explained that I was there for a family swim. Her response ‘no you won’t be swimming’ didn’t explain why. Just proceeded to flick through her paperwork. ‘I left you a message to say there is a swimming gala on’ okay but I didn’t receive a text. As she was so rude, talking down to me, infront of my children. I wasn’t aware at the time, as I was driving that I had a voicemail half an hour before session. I booked this online the night before. I was made to feel like this was my fault and dismissed. I was told, you can, oo in soft play and take a credit and come swim another day. No offer of a refund. This is the last time I step in Newmarket leisure centre. I booked and paid for another swimming session for an hour later and drove to Bury leisure centre. I have worked in and around customer service for 20 years. Suzanne should not be the face or attitude of your business. When I listened to my voicemail. There is still no apology for the inconvenience or even a sorry.

Positive experience: Slightly tired facilities, But a lovely baby class that was also free, So couldn't really complain. Changing rooms could just do with a bit of a cleanup as they were a bit smelly

Fantastic experience: Great classes of practically everything.

Fantastic experience: My gym

Negative experience: Used the car park, polling centre for the General Election just the ofter side of the road

Positive experience: dużo ludzi mało miejsc parkingowych

Fantastic experience: Perfekt

Negative experience: Its an ok gym but i think managements response to reparation of faciltities is very poor. Drinks fountains have been left out of service for months. The showers have incredibly poor pressure and have steadily decreased since its "Renovation", its horrible showering there. The Rowing machines haven't had batteries in the two middle ones for over a year and i've aready complained, all it takes is D batteries.. "Yeah we'll get it sorted" and then never do. Chest Press machine has had a broken safety foot lever for about a year now. There are more issues but the point is, they need to get off their backsides, get some equipment/facility inspection templates done and get their staff doing them. Report problems, Fix Problems within set target period and implement continous improvement measures. It really does leave me with a bitter feeling that me and SO MANY other people are footing £35 a month and the staff can't be bothered to maintain basic facilties and equipment you'd expect at your local leisure center, you'd expect this type of management and Mcdonalds.

Fantastic experience: Good soft play kids love it

Fantastic experience: Very happy when the call was answered the customer service agent was very polite and helpful I was treated really nicely over the phone and she booked me for my other classes too I would recommend this leisure center to my family & friends anytime it’s a really lovely gym/ swimming pool and also the studios are great really very friendly

Positive experience: Attended floats and fun last Saturday 21st March and Sunday, the place is very clean and lockers and showers work well, my children 9 and 11 love the floats. Very annoying when one arrives and there are only four large floats between 20 or 30 children, I had to ask to get more out as did other people, but young children do not feel able to do so and end up bobbing around in the pool with nothing, the lifeguard's concern seems to be limiting the number of floats they need to pick up at the end of the session. During the Saturday session both lifeguards spent most of it their time talking to each other attentively at one side of the pool with neither in the high chairs which didn't feel safe.

Positive experience: its overall a great place. Although the staffing is horrendous! I went in at 8:00 to get some hot chocolate from the cafe, but to my surprise the was no staff around. No receptionist and no cafe staff. All i wanted was my hot chocolate.

Positive experience: My local leisure centre - I've been going there for well over 10 years. Generally the facilities are good and the centre has great potential, but it needs more staff, or firmer ways to enforce rules / manage large numbers of people during busy periods. The soft play has a "toddler area" which is "for under 3s" which needs either a controlled entry system or staffing to enforce the age limit - as it is consistently ignored by both the children and the adults who are with them (observed from multiple visits over the past month at different times of day). We visited with our 9 month old baby today and the "toddler area" that he usually enjoys playing in during quiet times was over-run with older children (much older than 3) running around and climbing on top of the structures and jumping off, while their parents stood chatting next to them. Even after being asked to leave, more older children emerged who had been hiding inside the area, and continued on as though nothing had happened. It's worth noting for potential visitors that the "sensory room" is apparently not for babies as one might assume, but is open to all (confirmed by a member of staff to us today). It's not the safest area for babies to play as the non-transparent door swings both inward and outward and is in frequent use by older children running around and using the room to hide in.

Negative experience: Your online services is the worst

Positive experience: Brilliant facilities, but the world's worst website for booking sessions.

Positive experience: Gym equipment could really do with an update..

Positive experience: Good facilities but not enough staff.

Negative experience: The reception was unmanned so I was unable to use the gym, even though there were several hours until it closed. Very disappointing.

Fantastic experience: Used the energy indoor soft play and sensory room. Great value for money. Times entries, but can stay as long as want (unless at capacity or private party i believe) sensory room is best we have found so far and that is included in proce of soft play. Soft play area have a sectioned off area for toddlers and younger ones, then seperate area for bigger kids. Baby changing clean and spacious and in same area of soft play. Seating with access to cafe. Gated off so kids can move round safely without wandering off.

Fantastic experience: Great..very helpful staff. and a great swimming pool.

Negative experience: Very rarely anyone on front desk to help and answer questions. If anyone is there thy are completely uninterested. Gym staff normally chatting to each other rather than helping anyone. Multiple machines not working. Constant problems with cards not working. Saying you didn't attend when you did but card didn't work. Did speak to management but they don't seem to want to face the issues. Say things will improve and they don't. Cleanliness is shocking.

Negative experience: Bad gym, bad maintenance. U cant find blue paper to clean equipments. The gym workers are more interested in talk each other than keep gym ready to use. Every week a different machine are broken and they don’t fix that. High price and low quality gym.

Fantastic experience: Brilliant Leisure Centre with various range of equipment and facilities.

Negative experience: Came to the soft play area with the kids just after midday, told us to closing soon due to a birthday party and charging us full price for 45 minutes to play. RIP OFF! Really? You don't feel any shame? Happened 2nd time in less than a month!

Negative experience: Too many broken machines. Currently only 5 out of 9 treadmills are working, one for well over a year. All another one of them needs is a new ribbon but it's still sat doing nothing. The chest press has broken foot pedal, the list goes on. There's also been no hot water for the last 2 days and nobody knows when it's coming back on. Sorry but if you can't afford to maintain your facilities, you shouldn't be in business.

Positive experience: Welcoming receptionist who was very helpful...nice atmosphere

Fantastic experience: Went for Sunday afternoon soft play with my daughter. Good facility kept clean and organised. Cafe is very reasonable and does great brownies!

Fantastic experience: Great place, better since the renovation. It has many different facilities and has things for everyone, high quality and very organised.

Fantastic experience: Excellent clean facikity

Fantastic experience: I've been taking my kids to swimming lessons her for a while and they love it! Tried a few other places in the past but never found a place they all enjoyed until now. They keep everything really clean and nicely presented.

Positive experience: Using only the pool. More options for lane swim after hours would make it much better.

Fantastic experience: Great venue for a Swim Meet

Negative experience: This gym is now completely over subscribed and they have made no attempt to improve the facilities to cope with the increased demand. Do not bother joining this gym if you want to do anything other than use a treadmill. Save yourself the money a go for a run outside. If you are fortunate enough to get access to a rack or bench, the equipment is poorly maintained and the staffing minimal. Makes you wonder where all the increased revenue from over subscription is going?

Fantastic experience: Good gym and facilities

Negative experience: Rude and unhelpful workers! The lady from reception literally REJECTED to call out driver who parked at the zebra so pedestrians CANNOT PASS BY!

Fantastic experience: Extremely helpful staff and just love the whole experience.

Positive experience: Soft play is great and was the reason we attended today. However the service for food and drinks was slow. And the hotdog that arrived was pretty awful.

Positive experience: There was zero parking on a Sunday... cars up on the curbs and on all the corners. The queue to the cafe was, therefore, really long. 5 ppl deep queue whole time we were there. The soft play was nice clean and boys loved it. Toilet did have soap in.

Positive experience: Great facility. The only reasons for 4 instead of 5 stars: - lack of options to book courts for small groups that are not teams so that individuals get sidelined in favour of clubs. - loss of the late night option as now shut at 9 instead of 10pm - car park is often overfull with traffic, especially as it also seems to be to be used by people on the Academy facilities and astropitches, whilst staff moan about it.

Fantastic experience: The swimming pool lessons are great. Children enjoy and learn a lot!!!

Negative experience: Soft play area is really nice for the kids but the cafe service is actually the worst I haver seen

Negative experience: Poor communication. Very disappointed

Fantastic experience: Just wanted to say HUGE THANKS to the staff at the soft play ! my son had the best birthday party ever and the staff was so helpful and super kind! if you need to book a birthday party i definitely recommend it!

Fantastic experience: I would just like to thank the staff and cafe staff for all their help. My son hired out the main hall today for a football party followed by refreshments in the cafe. From start to finish it made his birthday perfect. We will definitely book the boys in again during the xmas holidays . You find it hard these days for people wanting to help the staff went a mile and beyond A big thank you again from the Yule family

Positive experience: Good for the children but gates to get in and out of their play area a problem. Strange set up for cafe

Negative experience: Filthy, smelly, disorganised, the recent re-fit was money flushed down the drain, small soft play area which closes early, cafe staff more interested in having a chat than serving or clearing tables. Monthly payments increase and standards drop, a shame as a bit of TLC could make it so much better.

Fantastic experience: Love, love , love it. Use twice a week for the gym. Very clean, friendly atmosphere. All staff are well knowledged and happy to help in anyway they can.

Fantastic experience: I was going swimming when I lost my locker key and the two members of staff, Matt and Harry were very helpful and opened it for me. I was extremely greatful as my phone and clothes were on there, and were also very kind and polite. I would recommned as there a lovely facilities and friendly, helpful staff.

Fantastic experience: Friendly staff and a great place to swim or train :)

Negative experience: SERIOUSLY!!!! They have installed height barrier's before car park ( 2.1 metre ) !!!. How I suppose get in to the car park with ladders on mine van !!!.

Negative experience: Went to enquire about joining with my children today. Stood in a queue for 10 mins, 4 people behind reception all dealing with the one person in front of me. No explanation, no greeting, no “sorry will be with you as soon as possible. Not very impressed.

Positive experience: Always packed. They pay the staff minimum wage too. Much prefer the Mildenhall gym.

Positive experience: Lauren is a fantastic, enthusiastic swimming teacher. She encourages all the children to achieve. However, it would be even better if the cafe was open until 6pm.

Positive experience: Facilities are good, very rarely staff around if you need any help

Positive experience: Only been once so far but seems very good, helpful staff and very clean

Fantastic experience: The best leisure center ever.... stuff very nice. But it need be a bit more clean in the shower from the pool spaces.

Positive experience: After re - fiexd. Is much much better.. Love it

Negative experience: Went to the Energy play, play was fine but the cafe service and food was awful, painfully slow queue and substandard food. Will never go again.

Fantastic experience: Slimming world, that's where the magic begins Wendy Vonieble good teacher.

Positive experience: It's been asked to remove outdoor shoes entering into changing rooms area. A few people don't but it's a good start. The staff is really helpful and polite.

Fantastic experience: Great place which is made by the lovely staff!! Couldn’t be more friendly or helpful!

Fantastic experience: Fingers crossed they will hang onto the staff they now have, to cut down on cancelled classes.

Fantastic experience: Good friendly gym with excellent facilities

Positive experience: Incorrect beverage prices advertised (differed to cash till prices), I pointed this out and they amended it immediately. Not much staff mask-wearing, but building seems airy.

Negative experience: We came here for the first time to use the pool and i am purely writing here to hope management will act on this and can improve. We went to mildenhall the other week and they clear every hour but here none of the floors were cleaned, no changing rooms wiped down, around the pool was filthy with litter to, even going to the bathroom all the toilet rolls were empty. This is seriously lacking pride and attention to detail. For me there is nothing worse than walking around half naked in other people's dirt and then having to change in changing rooms where other people's dirt are all over the seats and floor. Gross. This could be a great place to go to when these issues are sorted.

Fantastic experience: Awesome place. Highly recommended.

Negative experience: I dont know who and why they think that setting air-conditioning so low in kids play area is good idea.. lots mum complain about it that its to cold in there and staff didn't do anything about this! Kids are sweeting dooring running arround and then got blow with that really cold air I know at least 3 kids that got sick afterwards.. my got bad cold twice after playing in there as he's sweeting really bad dooring play and he himself complain its to cold in there!we won't be going back there for that reason! Its the coldest soft play we have ever been!

Negative experience: Absolutely racist towards travellers there is travellers down the back and are classed me as one and I’m living in Cambridge all of my life always used this gym and today when I got a day pass for my brother to refuse him with the day pass as they said they are not serving travellers totally shocked and disgusted true the managers and the CEO still happens in the 21st-century feel so disgusted staff is horrible

Fantastic experience: Very positive experience, friendly staff, changing rooms and toilets cleanest ive ever seen, place smelt amazing. Excellent!

Fantastic experience: Nice pool Freindly staff, clean

Negative experience: Just livid with this place. The whole new system is utterly useless to the point where I'm now looking for somewhere else to go. I cancelled my booking this morning as my daughter's unwell (the first one I've ever cancelled), I gave over an hour notice and now I can't book another appointment as it's saying I've got a 'strike' on my account and need to contact reception. What a joke! There are 20 spaces left, I cancel once and get treated like this when I'm paying to use this hopeless service? Have you ever tried getting through to the actual reception staff? Plus while I'm here... the cleaning system is a total joke, most people don't bother to clean the machines after they've used them and what's the point anyway as we are ALL touching the same 3 cleaning bottles in the room constantly (clearly no one thought this through) and huddling around the tables waiting to use them?! If anything it's way more risky. They should just have one person with gloves on regularly going around cleaning everything. Give your customers 'strikes' when they don't bother cancelling or if they do after a number of times. NOT when they let you know because their kid's sick for god sake.

Negative experience: life guards useless, never on raised chairs but stand together almost holding hands. Slow lane so over crowed impossible to swim. Management never over seeing pool, and large men pushing others around. Not safe for disabled swimmers. Changing rooms continue to be dirty.

Positive experience: Gym is often to busy . Pool crowded when lanes on for covid restrictions hard for slow swimmers

Fantastic experience: Only used the soft play with my child so far, I will update as I use more of the facilities.

Negative experience: Popped up today for quick bite to eat was really shocked at the standard of food on offer compared to what used to be on offer basically all I could choose from was a sausage roll or panini which was only a sausage panini( which was of very poor quality)no other selection available I know this is no fault staff on duty as they made me aware this is all they are allowed to offer which is such a shame as they used to have a lovely selection of food such a shame especially as they have now got a refurbished cafe

Negative experience: Customer service is shocking. App is shocking. Have taken money from us, cancelled the swimming lessons and not repaid us. Not a great experience to be honest. I'd love to book swimming but apparently it's impossible to use the app and impossible to go in to the pool and book. Lucky there isn't a rival pool in Newmarket because most people would have gone there by now.

Negative experience: I have currently been on hold for 17 minutes. The message keeps saying if I have a general enquiry I should look at the website. I do not have a general enquiry - I have a very specific enquiry. Just pick up the damn phone.

Fantastic experience: Love itt

Positive experience: Reasonably priced swimming lessons however the changing rooms are always dirty and smell like urine even post Covid.

Positive experience: Excellent facilities covid clean and tidy. Great to be back for health and well-being, in mind and body.

Fantastic experience: Is super nice to have a place like this in the town as we can have some time for ourselves and our children.

Fantastic experience: I love giving blood here. So spacious and historical.

Positive experience: Nicely refurbished and good one way systems in place. However no hair dryers available and none allowed. A bit of a pain with the winter months coming and kids swimming

Fantastic experience: Always a pleasure to visit with excellent Covid protection measures and friendly welcoming staff.

Fantastic experience: If you need personal trainer you can find me around ☺️

Fantastic experience: Good covid measures in place. Great to be active again. Highly recommend. Can't wait for everything to be unlocked down as the new soft play looks amazing.

Positive experience: Gym is great very disappointed in not being able to shower though. It don't make sense as you leave the gym dripping with sweat all over the place you can still wash your hands though !! Will someone tell me why you cannot shower as when you wash are you not destroying the virus if it happens to be on your body?

Positive experience: Went to Weigh in SW but the centre is safe and clean

Negative experience: Got rid of their sauna's & steam room's hence the low score

Fantastic experience: Excellent place, staff are always there to help, and give advice, and polite,

Positive experience: Great customer service not enough parking at the center