Absolutely Ten Pin bowling centre to close after seven years

After opening its doors seven years ago, the Absolutely Ten Pin bowling centre in Salt Hill Park is closing down on Sunday.

The bowling centre is shutting because leisure provider Slough Community Leisure’s (SCL) contract with Slough Borough Council (SBC) expires at the end of May.

SCL started a petition in November to keep the bowling centre as it is and to keep the centre’s staff of about 30 people.

It was told the council was bound by a previously signed contract to deliver the site as an ‘empty shell.’

It was unable to re-bid for the town’s leisure management for financial reasons.

The Salt Hill Park site is due to be closed for about 18 months before re-opening as a new multi-activity centre.

SBC announced last week that Slough’s new leisure provider will be Sports and Leisure Management.

Absolutely Ten Pin centre manager Mat Read said: “We are all very sad.

“I would say it’s the end of an era, I would say it’s gone too soon.

“We’ve been there seven years and we made a lot of friends along the way.”

Mat, who worked at the centre when it first started in 2010, says his team of employees, many of whom are teenagers, have a good team spirit.

“We work hard for each other and with each other,” he added.

The bowling centre has organised a three day course for its young employees to help them improve interview techniques and CVs.

Mat worries that several upcoming closures of Slough’s leisure facilities to make way for renovations means many employees will not be able to find replacement leisure jobs.

“They’re running out of places in Slough that have under 18s working for them,” he added.

“I’m sure there could have been a way to work through this and keep them in these jobs.”

Absolutely Ten Pin is offering bowlers two games for £7 each when booking online quoting ‘goodbye’ as their promo code.

A new leisure provider for the town has been announced by Slough Borough Council (SBC).

On Friday, April 28, the council's preferred contract bidder was announced as Sports and Leisure Management LTD, whose consumer brand is Everyone Active.

Established in 1987, the firm is the UK's longest running leisure contractor and runs facilities in partnership with 43 local authorities.

The Everyone Active brand can be seen at 146 leisure and cultural facilities across the UK.

The company is expected to take over Montem Leisure Centre from June 1, and Slough's Ice Arena, Salt Hill family activity centre, Langley Leisure Centre and the new Farnham Road leisure centre when construction and refurbishments are complete.