Charity trustees of Crook Community Leisure have made the difficult decision of placing its sports centre and associated land on the market. The trustees say the facility is no longer financially sustainable for the charity to operate.
Background and facilities
The current centre was developed following a public vote in 2013, when the project secured significant support from a community fund towards its development. The facility opened its doors to the local community in 2017 and has since provided a base for local residents, community groups and junior sports.
The site includes the existing leisure centre, sports facilities, a running track, football pitch and adjoining land. However, like many others in the charity sector, the financial landscape in which the community leisure facilities operate has changed significantly following Covid.
Financial pressures
With rising energy and utility costs, increase in the National Living Wage and National Insurance alongside the maintenance of the ageing building, considerable pressure has been put on the charity. Despite having a healthy membership and continuing to work hard to generate income, the trustees have come to the conclusion that they can no longer responsibly commit charitable funds to subsidise the centre’s operation.
Trustee Dorothy Winter said: “This is a decision we have not wanted to make, but we have to be realistic. The costs of running a facility such as this have increased enormously and, as trustees of a charity, we have a responsibility to ensure that we act according to charity commission rules and sadly know when enough is enough.”
Trustees' commitment and future hopes
The trustees are all volunteers and, alongside the charity, have invested considerable time, money and personal commitment into the facility due to their belief in the importance of community leisure provisions. Dorothy said: “We have done everything we can to keep the centre operating, but we simply cannot continue to subsidise it indefinitely. We are selling because we have to, not because we want to.”
The trustees believe the sale could provide an opportunity for the site to have a sustainable future and are keen to hear from organisations or developers with the financial resources and vision to invest in it. They believe a new owner may be able to look at the site differently and potentially unlock opportunities that are beyond the charity’s financial capacity.
The trustees say they are aware the centre is more than just a building, it provides a meeting place for a range of community activities including a group for locals over 60 who meet twice a week and support the local junior football enthusiasts through clubs. The team are committed to doing what they can to minimise the impact on those groups and are already considering alternative venues within Crook so that these important community activities can continue.
Dorothy said: “We know there will be people who are disappointed, upset or angry about this decision, and we completely understand that. The people who established Crook Community Leisure did so because they wanted something positive for the town. That principle has not changed. But sometimes protecting the future means recognising when something is no longer financially viable and having the courage to make a difficult decision.”
Although the decision to sell has been made, the trustees are not ruling out the possibility of a purchaser coming forward who wants to retain, improve or expand the leisure provision. Dorothy said: “We hope people will judge us for the fact that we have tried everything we reasonably could to keep the facility going. Now we want to find someone who can take the site forward and, hopefully, make something really positive happen for Crook.”
