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Father and daughter realise their ten year vision
The opening of a Leisure Mountain on the 334 acre regeneration site of the former Glasshoughton colliery and coking works is the result of a ten year vision conceived by a father and daughter to build an innovative leisure complex all housed in one building.
 Their dream became a reality after they persuaded the entrepreneur PY Gerbeau, to take over their concept and back the scheme.
The Frenchman, now chief executive of X-Leisure, runs the Milton Keynes leisure dome.
For Nottinghamshire based civil engineer Stuart McLoughlin and his architect daughter Helen of Waystone Ltd., the opening of the Leisure Mountain on Thursday 9 October was the result of further development to the 1993 proposals to construct an indoor real snow ski-slope on a British Coal open cast coal site in Yorkshire.
The idea was further developed following a meeting with inventor Malcolm Clulow of Snowmec, who had patented and tested equipment for manufacturing and maintaining real snow indoors.
They obtained support from Bolsover District Council, but the scheme was shelved for a period during the privatisation of the coal industry. In 1994 the concept was put forward as a proposal for regeneration of the Glasshoughton Colliery and Coking Works, winning preferred developer status for the 334 acre project.
Helen's designs were enhanced to create a Leisure Mountain with a large dome to incorporate cinemas, bowling alleys, restaurants, a hotel and an indoor snow zone for skiing, boarding and tobogganing. Her designs were adopted for the regeneration programme for Glasshoughton with planning consent.
"The people of Yorkshire have now one of the most exciting leisure complexes in the country, all uniquely housed in one building. We are now looking together with PY to extend the Xscape concept", said Mr McLoughlin.
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