Membership is up at Rye Leisure Centre and the trustees believe it will start to break even much earlier than first thought. Plans are being explored to refurbish the reception and install electric car charging points.
The sports centre has been run locally since the start of April this year and Barry Nealon, the Chairman of the Rye Leisure Centre Rye Recreation and Wellbeing CIO, has given us this update on how things are going now decisions about the centre are now being made in Rye.
In our first six-month report, the trustees are pleased to report that the performance has been ahead of budget, galvanised by the substantial increase in membership from the budgeted 460 to the current 725, and pleasingly driven by both the older and younger members of the community.
This has been achieved through the efforts of the well- trained staff, and we thank Dan Lynn for his capable leadership.
The capital investments from the Levelling Up Fund have improved the appearance of the centre and the Sport England investment in the photo voltaic cells has brought down the utility costs. Support from the Lottery Fund has given us the headroom to manage the increase in users at the leisure centre and has helped our cash position.
It is our belief that we will achieve the break-even position that we had predicted would happen at the end of year three much earlier. This is further validated with our cash position at the end of September, which remains well above the working capital raised at commencement.
We are also pleased to report that the centre is viewed positively for its community engagement. The range of sport and leisure activities has increased significantly and pickleball is now played in the sports hall over three sessions a week. At the end of the year, we will be upgrading the appearance of the gym.
The trustees were disappointed that the Christmas festivities are reduced this year in Rye and so have decided to have a Christmas Santa for 2 to 8-year-olds on the 20 and 21 December. For a £2 investment, the children will leave with a present with a value of over £10. We have raised the funds for 120 presents. This will further increase our engagement with all ages.
When we have a full year’s experience, we plan to raise funds for a major refurbishment of the reception area and possibly the introduction of an electric car charging platform. In all, the trustees are confident that the charitable investment it has made will bear long term value for the community.
Image Credits: Rye Leisure Centre .
Really unsurprised by this. The standard of the centre – and even just the basic management – are like night and day compared to the previous regime (in a good way!). It actually feels like a facility run by the town, for the town, which in the short time they’ve had control is nothing short of extraordinary. The Christmas Santa arrangements referenced in the article are just further proof of this. Bravo to all involved.