Abbey Leisure Centre

Abbey Rd, Pity Me, Durham DH1 5DQ, UK

4.2 (185 reviews)

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Neil G (Tank)

Durham Council run sports centre with a free carpark (can get quite busy ) with EV chargers that is close to the Arnison shopping centre. Recently updated with new equipment, coffee shop and soft play, all at, what seems to be very competitive price.

Facility Location Pricing
Posted 2 months ago
Joe Bailey

Played squash here, friendly staff and good value!

Pricing Atmosphere
Posted 3 months ago
Dr Mustafa Kutiyanawala

Clean, friendly staff. Gymn equipment is modern and of a good standard . Plenty of parking. Has a nice play area for small kids.

Facility Location Atmosphere
Posted 5 months ago
Mr Anon

Amazing softplay, trampoline and tag arena for an inexpensive price. The cafe serves nice food and hot drinks. Perfect for kids up to 12 from babies. Sessions are 90 minutes and start at 9:30, 11 & 1 pm.

Facility Classes Pricing
Posted 9 months ago
Julie C

Perfect place to let the kids run off energy and well stocked/priced cafe. Only issue I had was the parking.
Posted 1 year ago
Lisa Bisset

Took my 2 grandchildren today aged 6 and 9 and I can't recommend here enough. Honestly, the whole process from start to finish was great. The facilities, the organisation and the food were fantastic but what makes this place special is the brilliant staff. I spoke to different members of staff during the session and they were all great. Major shout out to the lady on the reception area at around 11.30am today (so sorry I didn't catch your name) You were professional and friendly in sorting out my booking error and I can't thank you enough. Big thumbs up from us!
Posted 1 year ago
David McHugh

Excellent soft play area and trampoline area. Very clean well supervised and very reasonably priced. It also has a very good cafe area which is very clean relaxing and the food is very good at a very reasonable price. This is one of the best I have taken my granddaughter to
Posted 1 year ago
Debbie King

Great place with a wide range of workout equipment & classes. Café and extensive play area downstairs. Staff are friendly and encouraging.
Posted 1 year ago
Joanne Birnie

Always a good experience for children to play but noticed a considerable about of dust gathering on the outside of the play tunnels, perpex glass! To the extent people had wrote things in the dust! Noticed my granddaughter nose started to run during and after play session which is rather concerning! Afterwards we went to eat elsewhere and went to wash our hands and the bubbles were black! Abit concerning to say the least.

Facility
Posted 8 months ago
lauren Muxworthy

The facilities were clean and the soft play was a nice size, with plenty for the children to enjoy. We’d travelled over 30 minutes to visit after hearing such great things, so we were really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, our visit was spoiled by one member of staff whose attitude came across as unnecessarily confrontational. I also found the security measures quite full-on. I understand the need for safety, but the entry scanning system, combined with staff constantly pacing around watching families, created an atmosphere that felt more intimidating than welcoming. I asked whether the trampolines were an additional cost, and while I had no issue with them being extra, the response was quite rude. A short while later, my daughter went off to play and he told us she needed socks. Before I had a chance to check whether we had some in our bag, he followed us to repeat that she needed them and told us we could buy some at reception. We did so without any issue—they were under £2—but the way it was handled felt unnecessarily abrupt. Later, when my daughter went into the toddler area, he said she was too old. She is actually within the advertised age range, although she is tall for her age, so I completely understand checking. However, he then went on to say it was “really for 0–2-year-olds” and that 3-year-olds could use it “if they’re OK with babies.” Her one-year-old brother was playing there at the time, and the comment just felt odd and patronising. What upset me most was that the whole experience upset my daughter. She became worried about where she was allowed to play and felt like she was constantly being told off, which isn’t how a visit to a soft play should feel. Earlier, a female member of staff had been lovely, chatting to both of my children and creating a welcoming atmosphere. In contrast, this staff member made us feel like we were constantly being watched and corrected. I completely appreciate the importance of staff enforcing the rules and keeping children safe, but there is a big difference between being vigilant and making families feel welcome. On this occasion, it felt far more like security staff patrolling than friendly staff supervising a children’s play centre. It’s a real shame because the facilities themselves were great, but one staff member’s attitude completely overshadowed what should have been an enjoyable family outing.

Facility Pricing Atmosphere
Posted 3 months ago
Andy Przybysz

We went to Abbey Leisure Centre specifically to use the soft play facilities, but overall, I was rather disappointed. We purchased a package that included a “picnic snack,” though the website didn’t clearly explain what that actually meant. When I went to redeem the snack, I was told we had to wait another half hour because of a fixed rule, which felt unnecessarily rigid. There were also more rules that didn’t really make sense—like the trampoline area having a minimum height requirement of 120 cm, which excluded my daughter, who was just under. She was quite upset. She then moved to the toddler area, which is supposedly for children aged 3 and under, but there was no staff enforcement, and many older children were in there, throwing pillows around and rough playing. It didn’t feel safe or age-appropriate, so that didn’t work out either. I also noticed that although there was no queue when we arrived, a line quickly built up before the next session, and it moved very slowly. If you book an 11 o’clock session, you really need to arrive earlier—otherwise, you risk standing in line for 10–15 minutes, which can eat into your slot. And unlike other places where kids can start playing while parents sort out check-in, here you need a code before anything happens. All in all, I wouldn’t recommend this place and won’t be returning. While some might enjoy the other activities like tag games, I personally didn’t feel it was worth the price.
Posted 1 year ago
Diane Gibson

Wouldn't allow grandson on trampoline due ti hight (has a bigger trampoline at home) so he had complete meltdown along with my daughter (first time ive seen her cry) Marcus only staff member to notice our crying came to support us forgot to say both grandchildren autistic 1 had to play outdoors because of the screaming and looks from everyone

Instructors Atmosphere
Posted 1 month ago
8 plus us

Absolutely appalling staff. A man named John who works in the kiddies play area informed us our autistic child had taken her socks off and in his words ‘she either puts them on or she gets out!’. I am disabled but had to climb to the top of the climbing frame to try and find her socks. I couldn’t find them. I told him his attitude stinks but he didn’t seem bothered? I hurt myself trying to find the socks but couldn’t so she had to get out whilst her friends enjoyed the birthday party. She’s 6 and non verbal and didn’t understand why she was being treated differently to everyone else? I will never return to this place. If you have special needs kids my advice would be don’t take them here. They’re treated like dirt by the staff! This is the second occasion this man has been rude to us about our daughter.

Instructors Atmosphere
Posted 5 months ago