The squash club closed, gym facilities moved toward the budget end of the market, a tennis club closed and there were no permanent indoor tennis courts around. Enough reason for Matthew Towers in Bedford to make a commitment to himself, that if he was ever in a position to improve the racquets and gym facilities in his town, he would make it happen.

Now, many years later, it happened: Bedford got a high-end health & racquets club with no less than 3 indoor and 4 outdoor tennis courts, 4 squash courts, a gym, high energy studio, mind & body studio and a state-of-the-art spin studio. The wet side of the centre will have a 20 meter pool, sauna, steam room, feature shower and hydropool. Further relaxation can be found upstairs in the wellness treatment rooms, or in the bar/café area, where you can find a quiet area as well as a dedicated kids club.

Knowhow, ideas, inspiration and facts were gathered making good use of the operating experience of Pellikaan in Holland. For this design & build project, we work with Hooper Architects and during the design development, the team visited several Club Pellikaan centres, adding valuable insights about the operational consequences of the design.

Matthew Towers: “We will be trying to create a club that caters for families, whilst at the same time offering adult individuals the health club experience that they desire.  We are aiming to stimulate a renaissance in squash in the area, drive increased tennis participation, and make Bedford a healthier and happier place to live. If we could produce one or two players who go on to national recognition, that would be a bonus. Not too ambitious then!!”