Cardiff community sports hub helped by Gerflor

Sport in the UK contributes significantly to community life. It is a valued activity bringing benefits to all the community as an enjoyable leisure pursuit, and as a contributor to enhancing quality of life. Community sport centres are important to local people and bring fun, challenge and competition as well as opportunities for social interaction as part of leisure time activities. Access to sports facilities and opportunities that meet local needs positively influence the communities' perception of their local area, particularly for children and young people.

The all-new STAR Hub in Cardiff opened its doors in September 2016 and now proudly sits at the heart of the Splott, Tremorfa, Adamsdown and Roath communities. This state of the art facility includes a new swimming pool with access for all users. Their spacious Health & Fitness Suite houses all-new TechnoGym equipment, including a Functional Fitness frame to allow for fun and challenging adaptation of traditional workouts. In short, it’s a haven for fitness that’s inspiring the local community to become fitter and more active.

A spokesperson for City of Cardiff Council commented, “The STAR Hub project is one of several community hubs developed by the City of Cardiff Council in recent years, at strategic locations around the City. The Hub concept allows the Council and its partners to bring together a range of services under one roof so that they can be delivered to local communities in a more effective and efficient manner”.

In constructing the new STAR Hub facility, the specification of the flooring choice would be at the very top of the agenda to enable only the very best products to be used. The ultimate decision would fall to the installer CS Flooring Solutions who would specify some 320m² of Taraflex® vinyl sports flooring from international flooring and interiors specialist Gerflor.

CS Flooring Solutions is the trading name of the commercial side of Carpet Services (Cardiff) Ltd which was founded in 1963.The family business started in the domestic market from its base in the village of Taffs Well, which the retail outlet still operates today. The commercial business sector is important to the company where everyone is united in maintaining the company ideals of customer service, value for money, and supplying top quality products. Anthony Mynett, Director, Carpet Services (Cardiff) Ltd commented,” As a Category A contractor we tender many projects with the main contractor Willmott Dixon and on this occasion, we were successful in securing the STAR Hub project.”

Ensuring that a floor is laid correctly and to the manufacturers specifications is always a consideration and any high-quality installer knows that preparation and proper planning is the key.

Anthony Mynett goes on to further comment, “on this project the set-out design required careful planning. In this instance, the installation process required the flooring product to be very user-friendly and flexible to meet the client demands. The result with Gerflor’s Taraflex sport flooring has proved its capabilities and has now left a lasting impression”.

Taraflex^® vinyl sports flooring from Gerflor has been used in many international and local sporting events and is available in 17 colours and three wood-effect designs.

It is available in various solutions meeting different levels of the EN 14904 Standard delivering the full scope of indoor sports surfaces from P1 to P3 shock absorption solutions. Taraflex^® is recognised for providing durability, safety and comfort without impairing performance. A unique value proposition, the Comfort range offers greater than 45% force reduction, making it unrivalled in the marketplace in terms of offering comfort for users lowing the risk of long term injuries. Taraflex^® meets the EN Standard of 22196 for anti-bacterial activity (E. coli - S. aureus - MRSA) (3) returning >99% levels of growth inhibition. The product is also treated with Protecsol^®, which renders polish redundant and is triple action meaning no polish is ever required, it’s easy to maintain and is anti-friction burn and slide/grip. Taraflex^® has a double density foam backing and with another bonus, it’s environmentally friendly.

Anthony Mynett finally ends by saying, “We were delighted with the total project from a flooring prospective, with Gerflor products playing a major role. We promoted this project on our website and LinkedIn account and received some very positive feedback. Working and specifying Gerflor products has enhanced our capability to the main contactor Wilmott Dixon. It demonstrates our commitment to quality”.

Learn more about Gerflor solutions, ask for a free sample or contact us to speak to a specialist today by calling 01926 622 600, emailing contractuk@gerflor.com, or visiting gerflor.co.uk for the latest innovations.