Community Initiative Award for leisure centre

IN recognition of the outstanding achievement and the hard work of volunteers and staff, Stocksbridge Community Leisure Centre has been awarded the Duke of York Community Initiative Award.

It was only six years ago that the centre was closed by the local authority and under community management has become a thriving hub of the community, offering a wide range of health and wellbeing activities for all ages and abilities.

This award quickly follows the news that the leisure centre’s lease has been renewed for a 30-year period to help it achieve further investment for improvements.

Andy Clarke, CEO of 4SLC Trust who manage the facility, said: “This is fantastic news and recognises the tremendous effort of everyone involved.

“Part of the assessment included interviews with our customers and their positive comments about the service provided and the great community feel of the centre made a strong impression on the assessors.”

The award ceremony, where HRH The Duke of York will make the presentations and meet the successful applicants, will be held at Catterick Camp, North Yorkshire, on Wednesday April 3.