Rye Leisure Centre has been awarded £331,000 from Rother District Council’s Community Infrastructure Levy, funding it hopes will help improve its facilities and strengthen its role in the local community.
The grant will contribute towards plans for a community café and social space, alongside gym improvements and essential repairs.
Centre director Dan Lynn said the ambition was to make the centre somewhere people could visit throughout the day, not just to exercise but to socialise and build friendships.
“Fitness gets people in the door, but what keeps people here is the friendships they make,” he said.
When questioned about the need for another café in a town already well served by cafés and eateries, Lynn explained that the centre would offer something different. “We want to create an environment for local people, community groups and those harder-to-reach, rather than another café geared towards tourists.”
Lynn acknowledged that the café would also provide an important source of income. Running the not-for-profit centre costs more than £600,000 a year, and he said, "any profits generated by the cafe would be reinvested in the centre to improve the experience and contribute to the sustainability of this vital community facility."
Since Rye Recreation and Wellbeing CIO took over the centre on 1 April 2025, membership has nearly trebled, rising from 330 to more than 900. Lynn described the community response as overwhelming, praising the hard work of staff, trustees and volunteers. A number of partnerships have also been established with local organisations, including Water Creatures, Splitz Dance Academy and local football teams, with emergency services also using the facilities for training.
The grant will fund gym redecoration, pool plant repairs, roof repairs and improved sports hall ventilation. A third will go towards the café development, with designs now being finalised ahead of the tender process, and development of the changing rooms will be explored in future phases of the centre's 3 to 5 year development strategy.
By Talya Roberson
