Lee Valley White Water Centre has become the first London 2012 legacy venue to successfully attain accreditation by Quest, the respected UK quality scheme for sport and leisure management, which is backed by Sport England.
The venue where Team GB won gold and silver in the Canoe Slalom event is now a popular visitor attraction offering thrilling white water activities including rafting, canoeing, kayaking, hydrospeeding and hot dog sessions.
Shaun Dawson, Chief Executive of Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, the body that owns and operates Lee Valley White Water Centre said: “Lee Valley White Water Centre is an inspirational venue and it’s a terrific honour for it to be the first London 2012 legacy venue to receive Quest accreditation.
“This is testament to the manager Simon Ricketts and his hard working team, who are clearly passionate about ensuring that all visitors are inspired by their experience of tackling the white water rapids and committed to making the venue a success.”
Quest is a tool for continuous improvement, designed primarily for the management of leisure facilities and leisure development.
Lee Valley White Water Centre was rated as ‘Good’ and the Quest assessors based their decision on a set of rigorous standards. This involved scrutinising the centre’s legacy plans, customer service, health and safety, cleanliness and general maintenance.
The centre was praised during the assessment for the “fantastic customer experience” which it provides.
Centre staff including the raft guides were described as “very helpful and friendly” and the assessor praised the pre-activity safety briefing and swim test as well as the presentation of the venue.
Caroline Constantine, Quest Operations Director said: “The Quest team is delighted to have Lee Valley White Water Centre as the first London 2012 venue registered in Quest.
“The Mystery Visitor said he had a fantastic time at the venue partaking in white water rafting and the Quest Assessor said she can’t wait to have a go herself. Well done to the team at the centre, they have worked hard to achieve Quest and this hard work has paid off.”
Lee Valley White Water Centre is the fourth Lee Valley Regional Park Authority venue to receive Quest accreditation. Lee Valley Athletics Centre, Lee Valley Ice Centre and Lee Valley Riding Centre have previously received an ‘Excellent’ rating.