Watch as divers celebrate reopening of Sheffield's Ponds Forge leisure centre in stunning style

The famous venue, which has produced a slew of Olympic athletes, had been closed for more than seven months since the country went into lockdown in March.

It failed to reopen in August, when most of the city’s public sports centres welcomed back visitors, with Sheffield Council saying it would be too expensive to do so.

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But the council and Sheffield City Trust, which runs the venue, performed a U-turn after a public campaign by the aquatics clubs based there, who said its closure leave top-class sportsmen and women with nowhere to train.

The council pledged to cover the £1.6 million cost of reopening, saving 76 jobs at the trust in the process, and the venue finally threw open its doors again this morning, Monday October 26.

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Sheffield Diving club marked their return to the pool in fitting fashion, with five of their finest pulling off a stunning synchronised dive.

Sharing the video on social media, they said: “It feels so good to be back.”

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The team at Ponds Forge International Sports Centre said they ‘can’t wait to see you all’ but reminded people of the rules in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus, with face coverings compulsory at all times when visitors are not participating in an activity.

It had been estimated that the venue would stay closed until April 2021 even in a ‘best case scenario’, with some sports clubs saying they would be unable to survive that long.