HSBC UK gives leg up to Swindon climbing centre with new investment

Published by

Nicky Godding

Swindon’s first purpose-built rock-climbing centre has acquired a new 1,010 sq metres premises to meet rising demand, after securing a six-figure finance package from HSBC UK.

Established in 2015, Rockstar Climbing Centre has benefited from a UK-wide surge in popularity of the sport and rapidly rising membership figures mean it has outgrown its current premises. Year on year, Rockstar has witnessed a 30% increase in members, footfall and greater participation from adults, juniors and families, with more than 73,000 visits per year. The new and improved climbing centre will also now offer rope climbing to its members, as well as bouldering.

The centre currently employs 25 people, split between full-time and part-time employees, which is double the number it had before acquiring the new premises.

Mike Aston, Managing Director of Rockstar Climbing, said: “I’m delighted we’ve been able to expand our business and accommodate a different type of climber for the first time, as well as offering more classes for all ages and abilities. Rock climbing has always been my passion and it’s amazing that it’s growing in popularity as a sport around the world! The funding from HSBC UK has been instrumental in helping us meet customer demand and we couldn’t have done it without the help of our Relationship Manager, Mike Gill.”

David Butler, HSBC UK’s Business Banking Area Director for Bristol, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, said: “We’ve been supporting Rockstar Climbing Centre since its inception in 2015 and we knew then it would be popular from the moment it opened its doors. We’re so pleased to be able to help the business again as it moves into the next phase of its growth and we look forward to seeing the business flourish as rock climbing becomes increasingly popular."

The new centre offers an adventure climbing section for the whole family to enjoy as well as a spacious café. Additionally, it offers a range of classes for juniors and teenagers, teaching them to become independent climbers.

Rock climbing will feature as a new sport in this year’s 2020 Tokyo Olympics which will continue to spread awareness of the sport.

Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe. After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts. She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.