Calne Leisure Centre

Peter Dolman · Calne Leisure Centre

I have just read in todays Wilts Gazette & Herald a statement from Jane Scott (leaderof conservatives in Wiltshire) that they (the conservatives) saved Calne & Cricklade leisure centres.

Can someone from the conservative group inform us what they did to save Calne Leisure centre, apart from giving back our own money?

I spent 9 months, with others, planning and working towards the successfull reopening. I thought I new exactly how the process went and who was involved but obviously I don't.

Answers please, Chuck, Charles, Alan & Tony!

Local lass

as far as i understood the council had nothing to do with opening the center back up

Chuck

Put simply Calne Leisure Centre closed before the 2007 election and Carol O'gorman stood down.

The petition documents say;

31 March 2007: Tonight White Horse Leisure Centre in Calne, Wiltshire closed its doors for the last time (at least in its present guise). Unless a rescue package can be agreed with North Wiltshire District Council very soon this facility, paid for by the people of Calne, could be lost forever.

This site has been set up to increase the awareness of events connected to the ongoing actions to try to resolve this matter and maintain leisure facilities for the people of Calne and the surrounding area. More information will be posted as it becomes available. Message Board

6 Jan 2008: The Calne Leisure Centre re-opened at the weekend, with over 1000 visitors and trying out the new facilities. Great work by all involved in the project.

7 Sep 2007: The Calne Leisure Centre re-opening date draws ever nearer. You can now find details on the official web site

26 July 2007: About 200 people attended a public meeting at the Town Hall tonight, where the Calne Leisure Action Group presented their plans for the re-opening of Calne Leisure Centre. The presentation was well received and it does seem as though this will be a successful campaign, with a targeted opening date of early October. Most of the funds initially required have been raised, though another £40k is still needed (approx 14% of the total required to start up and operate with no revenue for 3 months). There is still much to be done before "Calne Leisure Centre" will be ready for its first customers, but the signs are good. If you would like more information about the proposed share scheme, donations, membership and so on or to register your interest, please email the Group.

20 July 2007: NWDC Grants awarded - North Wiltshire District Council has agreed to release £60,000 and has awarded a £75,000 grant in a bid to work with the Calne Leisure Action Group to help reopen the Calne Leisure centre. The grant has been awarded to enable new gym equipment to be obtained (the old equipment was leased and was removed when the Centre closed in March).

19 July 2007: Public Meeting - a public meeting will be held at Calne Town Hall on July 26 at 7pm where the CLAG will present their plans for reviving the centre

11 July 2007: A Glimmer of hope? Calne Leisure Action Group presented their rescue bid to run the WHLC as a community run centre to the NWDC on 29th June. The plan was reportedly "well received". NWDC are now consulting with interested parties and studying the business plan submitted. Meanwhile yesterday the Town Council agreed to support the CLAG proposals to the tune of £25k per year for 2 years.

16 June 2007: Calne Leisure Action Group is examining the viability of re-opening the WHLC which will be renamed the Calne Leisure Centre and run as an industrial provident society (IPS and not for profit) for the benefit of the whole community. There is a survey form which you can download from here. Please return completed form to any of the following: Sainsbury's, Somerfied, Calne Information Centre, Bank House, Gazette & Herald. Latest return date 22nd June. By the way the pool remains viable, the pumps are still operating and the pool has definitely not yet been filled in.

2 May 2007: The end of the road ? Athena Leisure announce that they have withdrawn their support for the future of the Leisure Centre. Thanks NWDC for making it impossible for Calne to continue to have leisure facilities, lets hope that the elected members of NWDC that represent our town get the right message tomorrow. Use your vote to ensure that the Lib Dem/Tory councillors who were the cause of the demise of the WHLC are kicked out.

19 April 2007: NWDC throw out rescue package - much as expected NWDC have thrown out the rescue package submitted by Athena. Its clear NWDC have no real concern for the people of Calne, and no interest in trying to agree a package for the support of the WHLC.

17 April 2007: Calne Town Council agrees to support the Athena bid to rescue the WHLC - one small but significant step, now its down to NWDC to decide whether to continue to block the rescue package or to support the people of Calne and surrounding district.

12 April 2007: Athena gloomy - looks like even Athena Leisure are now close to giving up on the rescue. This would be a real shame, they have posted an excellent piece describing their efforts and explaining who they are and their motivation behind this. Please read it, a lot of the misconceptions are clarified. Meanwhile as they say the Leisure Centre is now the centre of attention for the town's vandals, and gives a wonderful impression to the visitor, see picture below. I'm sure I would look forward to my children using this site in the future if they were at JBS (not).

11 April 2007: Councillor O'Gorman explains why she is "standing down" - why does this not get posted on the Calne pages of the paper?

8 April 2007: The Athena Leisure bid is expected to be submitted Tuesday 10th April. For more details refer to Mick Devonport's letter

4 April 2007: Councillor O'Gorman "standing down" as district councillor

After the Election and havgin cosidered the varous options for the best value and best business plan and most effective service delivery NWDC delivered funding to Calne Leisure Centre to enable it to re open. Of course there were massive inputs from the public, the town counciil and others but the Conservative controlled Council took a decision to provide crucial funding to enable the re opening.

The share prospectus saiid;

Financial Information
The company has secured promises of funding from the following organisations:
North Wilts District Council £60,000
North Wilts District Council Area 5 committee £75,000
Calne Town Council £25,000
Underwood Trust £50,000
Calne Leisure Centre Trust £10,000
Total £220,000
We aim to raise and additional sum from the sale of shares and public donations. The public donations subject
to agreement by the Inland Revenue may be eligible under the gift aid rules which if agreed will allow the company
to recover tax from the central government at a rate of 28%. This would mean a tax payer donating £100
would be benefiting the £128 to the running of the Leisure Centre.
Share issue £10,000
Public donations £50,000
£60,000
Total income £280,000

Looks to me as though in 2007/8 of the projected income about half came from the Council.

So did that save the centre well maybe not but would the centre have been saved without it? You can answer that Peter after all you are the finance person there who, incidentally was also very important to it being saved as were all those who donated bought shares and volunteered.

I guess Peter the direct question is if North Wilts District Council had not allocated any money to CLAG would it have survived?

Perhaps the best use of Jane Scott's words would be that the Conservatives helped save the Centre, (but the Lib Dems defintely closed it!).

Cheers,

CHuck

Chuck

http://www.calne-leisure.vectisjon.com/ this is the link by the way.

Chuck

Chuck · One last quote Peter from the Gazette

Calne Leisure Action Group representative Peter Dolman said: "We are excited that we now have the support of North Wiltshire District Council to make our plans work."

Sort of says that the support from NWDC (Conservative controlled) was quite important even to you Peter. But then the press do not always quote accurately.

Chuck

pimpdriver

politics politics!!!!!

who said what when?????

Will Peter admit the NWDC helped the CLAG???

Will Chuck forget his trunks???

Log on later for the next amazing instalment!!!!!

GTB

Chuck

I know I took the bait - sorry!

LOL Chuck

Local lass

pimpdriver

WHAT, THE VOTE ON JUNE 4TH? YES IT DOES, BUT HOW IS THIS RELATED TO WHO GOT THE LEISURE CENTRE BACK UP AND RUNNING???

GTB

Stop shouting!!

I think this is a political version of who can pee the highest. Big Grin

pimpdriver

GTB

Ah, twas.

pimpdriver

Chepfer

Can i ask a question.

Peter, are you still involved in the running of the centre from a financial point of view ?

Peter Dolman

Chepfer the answer is no, the reason being is that we all (that is CLAG) agreed to keep politics away from the Leisure Centre. I therefore resigned from the board last year when I decided that I wanted to run for the new unitary authority.

My wife and I are shareholders and we are both members of the centre.

I and others involved in the process of the reopening of the centre are angry over the conservatives claim to save it. I could go into a long and detailed explanation giving my side of the story but it appears that no one is interested.

THE CONSERVATIVES WERE AS MUCH TO BLAME FOR ITS CLOSURE AS THE LIB DEMS.

Chuck and others have decided to take a very blinkered view of their involvement.

I for one did not want this discussion to happen and it would have been best for the leisure centre to carry on being the obvious success it is.

Peter Dolman

Chuck, what site are you refering to?

Chepfer

Fair enough Peter,

I admire your resolve and commitment for getting the centre rolling again and i think it shows what kind of person you are.

Calne born, Calne thinking and Calne Inspiring ....... Keep up the good work !

Peter Dolman

Chuck ok picked up the site but it is missing much and the time frame is incomplete. Much of the comments are misleading if not untrue, especially that surrounding Athena Leisure.

The question you keep avoiding is why did the conservatives not vote for Phillip Allnatt's alternative budget, which I am told, would have meant that neither Calne or Cricklade centres would have closed.
You, the conservatives, had more votes that the lib dems so you decided the outcome, no one else!

Chepfer

But however you look at it ... and whoever is right or wrong, the best outcome has occurred.

It was badly managed, in a bad state of repair and needed some serious money spent on it.

I honestly think that the outcome that happened, with the drive from yourself and lots of volunteers (including myself), the best solution was found.

We now have great leisure centre, which is modern, clean, always busy, well managed and a place that calne can be proud of.

If it had been "Saved" it'd still be much as it was .... and like corsham still is ....... Run down, tired and not going anywhere !

Peter Dolman

Chepfer you are right I will say no more on the subject

Chuck

In reply to Peter's question about Philp Allnuts budget I was not there it must have been before the election in 2007 sorry. All I know is that when I first got into Council Calne LC was closed already.

I don't dispute you did a lot to open it up again and I have to say that and the rest of the efforts was great I didn't bring this subject up the site I just stumbled on through Google.

Chuck

Calne Leisure Centre

One last quote Peter from the Gazette