Double silver Paralympian opens £30k facility at Haslingden-based Grip & Go

A double Paralympic silver medalist from Rossendale has officially opened the new £30k climbing area at Grip & Go in Haslingden.

Tom Hamer, who bagged silver medals in the S14 200m freestyle and SM14 200m individual medley in swimming at Rio, cut the ribbon and became the first visitor to scale the 9m-high wall.

The apparatus, which is 6m wide, is aimed at climbers looking to progress their skills and can hold four on auto belay lines at any given time. In total there are 12 different routes to the top, and the wall’s design means that it can be extended in the future.

Launched in June 2015, Grip & Go is home to 18 7m-high walls and other climbing apparatus.

Tom commented: “It was such an honour to be asked to to open the new climbing area at Grip & Go.

“I really enjoyed having the chance to try out the wall, it was a lot of fun.”

He added: “It’s a fantastic facility and hopefully the wall will inspire a new generation to take up climbing.”

The climbing centre’s bosses said they decided to expand the facilities available so that visitors could try their hand at more advanced climbing.

Grip & Go’s marketing officer, Rachael Kershaw, said: “We were delighted to welcome Tom to Grip & Go to officially open our new climbing area.

“Tom is a real local sporting hero and we are pleased that he took the time out of his busy schedule to show his support for our new facility.”

She continued: “This is the latest in a series of investments that we have made at Rossendale Leisure Trust, including a £2.5m investment at Marl Pits Leisure Centre to modernise the facility, as a part of a continued bid to improve the services we offer.”