Exciting news this week as Rye Leisure Centre is given a grant to help sustain its future. Lee Cornelius, the new Centre Manager, gave me this interview.
What motivated you to take on this demanding rôle?
Rye Sports Centre and Swimming Pool has always been my favourite swimming pool since I very first started working there not long after it first opened. I have done various jobs within the centre over the years and I know what it means to the local community. I am very excited to get the facilities, services and activities up and running again whilst looking forward to making improvements and changes at the Centre, too.
Can you tell me a bit more about the grant please: where did it come from, how much etc?
Here is a link with the information on the grant – Funding boost for local swimming pools –
What will the grant mean to the leisure centre?
The grant has enabled the swimming pool to re-open as of the October 2. We are now working to bring back all the activities and services that the community has missed, with hopefully a few changes and new ideas too. The grant has helped to secure leisure facilities for Rye.
Are you happy with the take-up of people using the centre now it is back open?
It has been great to see people using the centre again; some are returning after the closure and some new faces are appearing for their first time too. It would be good to see more people using the centre and we would welcome anyone to come and visit us and see what we have to offer.
What classes and facilities do you offer each week?
We offer a range of swimming opportunities (which will continue to grow) including open
sessions for families, lane swimming and aqua aerobics. The swimming lesson programme will be returning shortly too. We have a fully-functioning gym with a range of cardio and resistance machinery as well as a free weights and stretching area. There is a class timetable with the range of classes available, as well as the sports hall and multi-use games area for a range of sports and activities.
What is needed in the future for the centre to flourish?
We need our local community to support the centre, so please come down and have a look at what we have to offer. If you have any ideas on services/activities that you would like to see, then please let us know by emailing ryeenquiries@freedom-leisure.co.uk
Thank you to all of you at Rye News for helping us to get the word out about Rye Sports Centre and I will let you know in the future when we have messages to get across to the community.
The centre offers may facilities to keep you fit no matter what your age including the swimming pool, a well equipped gym and various classes including Aqua Aerobics and it a great place to have a coffee. We all fought so hard to get the leisure centre back but it needs a good footfall to keep it viable.
Shirley Lancaster writes to explain how important the pool is to her:
Image Credits: Kt bruce .
My thanks to all who worked so hard to secure the reopening of the pool. Everyone: please support the Rye Leisure centre and Pool by using it. That is the best way to help it succeed.
Thanks to Rye News and the Centre Manager for getting this publicity out to everyone.
From the link to Rother District Council’s website given in the article-
“A GRANT worth £128,354 has been awarded to Rother District Council to support two pools in the district.
Bexhill Leisure Pool and the swimming pool at Rye Sports Centre will each receive grants of over £64,000 to help ensure the continued provision of opportunities for residents to swim and take part in water activities locally phase one of the government’s Swimming Pool Support Fund, administered by Sport England.
The fund was launched to support public leisure facilities with swimming pools which have been adversely affected by rising costs, leaving them vulnerable to closure or significant service reduction.”
As Cllr Mier says, Rother secured the £64,000 by applying for the funding in phase 1 of the Swimming Pool Support Fund administered by Sport England. Cllr Hazel Timpej, lead for Leisure and Tourism at Rother has been tireless in ensuring we all work to the priorities we agreed to keep Rye Pool open, this is what happens when we work as a team together with the Town Council and others.
Congratulations to all.
Valued commitment and true conviction have yielded a fantastic result.
Thank you to all involved.
I would like to thank residents for returning to enjoy Rye pool. As Councillor Meir intimates it is a “use it or lose it” scenario.
Cllrs McGurk and Creaser have been our tireless campaigners and ears on the ground and we thank them both, along with Rye Town Council members.
RDC have applied for the second round of grants available via Sport England. Our Active Rother officer, Adrian Gaylon compiles these complicated grant applications and his contribution to our success so far is admirable.