A leisure centre in Rossendale has announced its official reopening date after being taken over by the community.

Under the name 'Whitworth Leisure Community Interest Company', a team of parents, residents and volunteers now run Whitworth Leisure Centre in John Street.

They took ownership after Rossendale Borough Council could no longer allocate the funding to support the gym and swimming pool.

Leah Brighty, a member of the community interest company, said: "We are inviting the public in to see the proposed plans for the future of the building.

"They can sign up to be a volunteer or make suggestions on ideas for the centre and will also be able to purchase memberships for the gym or register interest in swimming lessons."

There will also be local businesses selling food and drinks on the day, as well as raffles to raise money to fund the centre's future. 

A report by Grant Thornton, an independent financial expert, made urgent recommendations to Rossendale Council last year to ensure the financial viability of the previous leisure providers of the centre, Rossendale Leisure Trust.

In the past, Whitworth Leisure Centre was identified as losing the Trust more than £280,000, putting other leisure facilities at risk.

The building was also said to be in a poor condition and needed a large immediate investment to keep it in use, and the scale of these running costs caused the council to temporarily shut the centre down.

Explaining the breakdown of the costs, a spokesperson for Rossendale Council said: "Swimming generally is expensive to provide due to energy and labour costs associated with it.

"At Whitworth usage is low for the gym, as its very small, and the pool is as expensive without the income to support it.

"Several maintenance issues also make Whitworth more expensive than other sites."

The closure plan sparked protests and a campaign to find ways to keep it open.

Lancashire Telegraph:

Campaigners said Whitworth’s pool was used by young and old, including for children’s swimming lessons, and vital for health and social reasons. 

They also spoke at a Rossendale Council meeting in the summer and grilled councillors about options.

Rossendale Council chief executie, Rob Huntington, said: “I’d like to thank everyone involved for their hard work in getting this transfer over the line.

"It has been a long and sometimes difficult process, but we hope this transfer will provide the local community with continued access to the facility while also enabling the centre to be managed locally with community involvement at its core.

“The closure of Whitworth Leisure Centre was one the council took with a heavy heart.

"Rossendale Council understands the importance of leisure activities and leisure provision but unfortunately, the demands on our budget and the provision of the statutory services meant we were just not able to continue to run it.

“On behalf of  the council, I wish Whitworth Town Council and Whitworth Leisure Centre CIC good luck with the venture.”

The centre will officially re-open on Monday, February 19.

The opening event takes place on Saturday, February 17, from 1pm to 5pm.