Penistone Leisure Centre has been successful in it’s application for £166k of funding from East Peak Innovation Partnership (EPIP is European funding) towards Project 1 of our refurbishment. Along with £60k of money from BMBC’s Section 106 fund (money which housing developers set aside to improve local amenities) this grant means we have enough funds for the structure and core work of the refurbishment.
Our plans have been a long time in the making, and have been drawn up following a huge local survey, lots of talking to people and research.
Rachel Gibbons (Chair of the Board of Trustees) says-
‘This is fantastic news! We can now start to make huge changes to improve the centre for the whole community.”
Project 1 of our refurbishment is the internal reorganisation of Penistone Leisure Centre to maximise the potential of the building and to make the centre accessible to everyone in our community. The current layout limits its use, meaning people have to walk through the main hall during classes to access the gym rooms, party room, kitchen and storage. Our new layout will mean that there is a new Gym room with large windows and views down the fields:
There will be a new skate store and workshop, a large Cafe with windows looking into the hall so that you can watch activities whilst enjoying a snack/drink, a bigger second room for classes, improved toilet facilities, a fully accessible ‘changing space’ and a meeting room.
The money secured from EPIP means work can start in the near future and Project 1 will be complete by this time next year. We will do the work in phases, one room at a time, so we can keep the centre open throughout. We are meeting with our contractor, John O’Connell from JSD Construction, and our volunteer project manager Mike France this week to plan out the works.
Rachel, (Chair of the board of trustees) has worked tirelessly on this project and the funding applications needed to let it go ahead. Rachel has been the driving force for the project and we owe her a massive ‘Thank you!’ for her efforts for our community. It has taken a monumental amount of work to get the project to this stage and there’s a lot more to do yet!
There are further plans for the future of Penistone Leisure Centre. Project 2 will landscape the grounds to install accessible ramps to the centre and improve parking (some funding already secured for this, but more to find), and in Project 3 we will build an extension to the centre to provide another room for classes and more toilets/showers. See the plans HERE
Watch this space – or become a Friend of Penistone Leisure Centre to be the first to know!
