The Lakeside Leisure Complex is a hotel, entertainment and leisure complex in Frimley Green

Frimley Green

Frimley Green is a large village in Surrey, South East England, UK, close to the border with Hampshire. It is close to the towns of Camberley and Frimley, with the nearest major town being Guildford, approximately 10 miles away....

 near Camberley

Camberley

Camberley is a town in Surrey, England, situated 31 miles  southwest of central London, in the corridor between the M3 and M4 motorways. The town lies close to the borders of both Hampshire and Berkshire; the boundaries intersect on the western edge of the town where all three counties...

 in Surrey

Surrey

Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...

. It is most famous as being the venue of the BDO World Darts Championship

BDO World Darts Championship

The BDO World Darts Championship is a world championship competition in darts, organised by the British Darts Organisation . It began in 1978, and was the only world championship tournament until 1994...

.

History

The complex was established in 1972, when Bob Potter bought Wharfendon House and the surrounding grounds and lake. He built it up from a 500 seat venue to a 1,000 seat venue, which became popular on the cabaret circuit. The Lakeside fell victim to a fire in the late 1970s, but reopened in 1978 after refurbishment.

Events

The Lakeside became the venue of the World Darts Championship in 1986, and has also sponsored the event since 2004. It also hosts conference and banqueting facilities for gatherings of up to 1,000 people.

Facilities

The largest venue is the Main Cabaret Suite (used for the darts) and has a capacity of 1,170. There is also the smaller Canal Suite (capacity 350), the State Suite (capacity 100) and smaller function rooms - Bob's Bar, The Sharman Suite and the Wine Bar.

The Leisure Club is a member's club with snooker, pool, darts, bowling, squash and bars. In addition, the complex has a nightclub, hotels and restaurants.

Tragedy

A tragedy struck during the staging of the 2010 World Darts Championship

2010 BDO World Darts Championship

The 2010 Lakeside World Professional Darts Championship was the 33rd World Championship organised by the British Darts Organisation, and the 25th staging at the Lakeside Country Club at Frimley Green. Ted Hankey was the defending men's champion having won the title for the second time in the...

, the 25th year at the Lakeside. During a period of poor weather conditions on January 7, 2010 the body of 45 year-old Phillip Hughes from Slough, Berkshire was found under the frozen lake on the complex. Darts supporter Mr Hughes had been staying there whilst watching the competition.