There’s less than a month until Rye Town Council votes on whether to approve plans for the town’s sports centre and swimming pool. A not-for-profit company, the Rye Recreation and Wellbeing CIO (charitable incorporated organisation), hopes to take over running the centre from Freedom Leisure in January 2025. Barry Nealon, the chair of the trustees, has this update.
The CIO are now in the last phase of taking this on as a vital community asset and social enterprise by raising funds for start-up costs and first year working capital. We cannot take over with a zero-bank account as we need to get licences sorted, legals arrangements finalized, IT and accounting systems up and running, recruit staff, and so much more. Plus, we need funds to ensure we can keep the lights on and pay staff in the first year as we build our membership and revenue streams to a sustainable level.
This is the biggest community fundraiser in Rye in over 20 years (since the pool was built, and Rye hospital faced closure), and has, potentially, a big impact on over 20,000 people in the Rye area. We have received positive responses from individual donors and local companies, but if you were able to make a contribution to the fund it would make a big difference.
The Just Giving Page – Save Rye Pool & Leisure Centre! – can take donations. Just click on this QR code or visit https://www.justgiving.com/ryeclc. For larger sums you may wish to make payments direct to our account as Just Giving can take a sizable percentage of what is donated from the charity. Contact us for further details https://ryeleisurecentre.co.uk/#contact
The CIO fully recognise what the centre means to local people:
– A place for all young people within a radius of Rye to learn to swim.
– Headspace and early intervention for those suffering from mental ill health to be able to exercise.
– A place for social interaction and prescribing. A centre where people can gather, talk about their health in a safe and non-judgmental place, and take active participation in wellbeing.
– Encouraging fitness for all, regardless of age or background.
– A safe space for older people to enjoy fitness and combat loneliness.
– A centre to tackle rising obesity, diabetes and lifestyle illnesses, and a community hub supporting other organisations focused on these issues.
– A vibrant place that offers adult ed, quit smoking, healthy eating, and other advice classes.
– A location for the youngest members of our community to get engaged with sport.
– A place of equality in an area of deprivation. In a rural, coastal location, some of our villages feature in the lowest quartiles of national deprivation, facing health inequalities in a low-wage economy. Sport is a great leveller and equaliser regardless of background. For the community to come together and play sports, at minimal cost, is so important to the fabric of our society.
You can read updates on our website and our community engagement day was reported on in Rye News Biggest fundraising campaign in decades
Image Credits: Nick Forman .