CLIMBING enthusiasts will be saying their final farewells to The Ridge Climbing Wall, which is set to close today.

It was announced earlier this year that the Link Centre facility, along with the sports hall, is to be replaced by an indoor trampoline park by Greenwich Leisure Limited which runs the centre.

After years of use, today is the last day the wall will be used before the refurbishment starts.

Among the groups who will no longer be operating as a result of the closure is Cliffhangers, which was for youngsters who to develop their skills.

The group met for the last time over the weekend.

A statement on Facebook read: “Fantastic turnout to the Cliffhanger closing session today at the wall.

“We would like to thank all of our junior climbers for making our jobs so enjoyable.

“You have all been fantastic to work with and we wish you luck for the future. I am sure we will be seeing you all again soon.”

There has been a lot of local opposition to the decision to close the wall, with a petition against the change gathering almost 2,000 signatures. Among those who have voiced their anger is Martin Newman, the secretary of the Swindon Mountaineering Club, who says the town is losing a vital facility.

When news of the closure broke he said: “Climbing is one of the very few sports currently growing in popularity and the wall is normally busy.

“While this closure might be more understandable if a new alternative had been built in Swindon that had taken the custom away, this is clearly not the case.

“The Ridge is currently a good climbing wall and it is the only such facility in Swindon, with the nearest alternatives an hour away in Bristol or Reading.”

GLL, which last year took over the lease of all the town’s leisure facilities, has defended the decision saying it is investing in the town.

A spokeswoman for GLL said: “We believe that our significant investment into the Swindon leisure centres will increase attendance and encourage accessible sports provision.

“Our mission is to get more people, more active, more often - to achieve this some things will have to change.

“We understand that there will shortly be another climbing facility in Swindon and we are confident all sports hall users can be relocated.”