DAMES and delegates explored a multi-million pound entertainment and leisure venue in Northwich to mark the final countdown before it opens in May.

Dignitaries were invited to Memorial Court, in Chesterway, for a 'topping out' ceremony to celebrate the building's structural completion.

The £13.7m facility will include a 25-metre six-lane swimming pool with flume, learner pool, 80-station gym, spa/jacuzzi, 500-person multi-person theatre and dance studio.

It will also feature community space, a kitchen and two bars.

Doors will open to the public on May 9.

Cllr Stuart Parker, Cheshire West and Chester Council's (CWAC) executive member for culture and economy, said: "When Cheshire West and Chester Council came in to being we identified culture as the key catalyst for growth in the borough.

"Thanks to this strategy we are now seeing widespread regeneration – but nowhere is this more apparent than here in Northwich, which is undergoing transformation on an unprecedented scale.

"These fantastic facilities at Memorial Court will complement the cinema, shops and restaurants planned for Barons Quay, the unique heritage attraction at the Lion Salt Works, and the exciting new development we will shortly announce for Moss Farm."

CWAC leaders were joined in the tour by Weaver Vale MP Graham Evans, Simon Barber, from the Mid Cheshire Development Board and Dame Wanda, played by Jay Timms, who added showbiz glamour to the event.

Memorial Court is being delivered by CWAC with its contractor Wates Construction.

Landscaping outside the building will include a pedestrian plaza and a memorial garden that will be home to the relocated memorial stones from the former Northwich Memorial Hall.

Cllr Paul Dolan, CWAC councillor for Winnington and Castle, said: "While not everyone, including me, is particularly fond of the external appearance of the new facility, I only wish the best for its future and hope it is as well used and well regarded by the people of Northwich as the old memorial hall was."