THOUSANDS of swimmers, sports enthusiasts and gym members have been through the doors of Wyre Forest Glades Leisure Centre since it opened 20 years ago.

The centre, which will celebrate its 20th anniversary on Monday, was opened by the late Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1986.

Wyre Forest District Council spent £4 million on the facility, which took three years to build and, at the time, had Britain's largest water slide, which was 40 metres long.

Contract manager, Stuart Booton, who started working at the centre 20 years ago as a lifeguard and worked his way up, said: "I think, when it first opened, a lot of people thought it was going to be a white elephant. People thought a lot of money was put into the centre and were worried whether the district was going to reap the rewards from it. That was soon put to rest, with the major success the centre achieved."

There were around 750,000 visits made by people using the facilities, which included a leisure pool, five squash courts, a small gym and a cricket wicket, during the first year.

Mr Booton said: "It was a remarkable building and the first of its kind. It was built to high standards and it has withstood the test of time." He added the popularity of squash decreased, leading to further investment in the fitness facilities, which were expanded several years later.

The Glades Arena was built in 1992, with eight sports courts and also doubled up as an auditorium for events.

It has played host to stars including Lenny Henry, Roy Chubby Brown and Jim Davidson, as well as international sports events, including hockey and snooker.

Facilities have extended to include saunas, a sports hall, dance studio and meeting rooms.

For the past three years, the centre has been run by management company, D C Leisure, in partnership with Wyre Forest District Council.

Mr Booton said staff would continue to improve the centre adding: "We are always investing in the centre. We are carrying out a major refurbishment of the changing areas."

The centre, which has 60 staff, is used by 8,000 people a week and Mr Booton said: "I think people view it as an asset by the number of people that use the centre and the number of return visits."

To mark the 20th anniversary, staff are holding a cheese and wine evening for customers on Monday between 6pm and 9pm.

For further information, contact 01562 515151.