The T’s are crossed, the I’s are dotted and the ink has dried on the paperwork. Dorset Council has now handed the keys to the Redlands leisure facility in Weymouth to local charity Active Dorset.
Following Weymouth College’s decision to hand back the lease to Dorset Council in 2021, councillors and officers listened closely to the concerns of the community at Redlands and worked with Active Dorset on plans to improve the outdoor facilities and keep the indoor facilities open. Weymouth Town Council has also committed to providing £35k annually for the next two years in support of keeping the indoor facilities open.
Renamed ‘Redlands Leisure and Community Park’, Active Dorset have hit the ground running by introducing a new web-based booking system, opening a community cafe, putting up new signage and working on the roof in a few areas.
Future plans include a new catering facility and café in the function room, creating an indoor soft play area for children, new lighting and flooring upgrades in the main sports hall, potential development of the current football pitches and the introduction of a dog walking area.
Cllr Laura Beddow, Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Culture, Communities and Customer Services, said:
“I’m delighted to see such a valued asset placed in Active Dorset’s safe hands. I feel their plans balance the needs of current users and the local community with the financial realities of operating such a large facility.
“Working closely with Active Dorset has allowed us to deliver on the Council’s ambitions of supporting community health and wellbeing, as well as demonstrating our commitment to collaborating with local third sector organisations when commissioning services.
“Now we enter a new chapter of Redlands’ ongoing story, where current users and Weymouth residents will need to work with Active Dorset to ensure the facility reaches its full potential, especially regarding the indoor facilities. The future of Redlands depends on people using it, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the local community embraces this new way of working.”
Martin Kimberley, Chief Executive of Active Dorset, commented:
“I’d like to thank the members of the public who fought to keep the centre open, and we are already seeing positive signs of more users which is key to making Redlands thrive. We now need help to reach more people who will benefit from using the facilities.
“We are asking for everyone’s help in creating a flourishing online community that can help spread the word about the opportunities available at this site. We’ve already launched a new Facebook account and webpage, and we especially want to hear from people who may want to join or start their own clubs and activities at Redlands.
“When Dorset Council’s former tenant was considering closing the indoor facilities, the public outcry was loud enough for all concerned to take notice and develop a new approach to the site. Now we need those users and the local community to translate that vocal support into action so we can demonstrate that Redlands Leisure and Community Park can thrive in the long term.”
You can find out more about what’s available at Redlands via their official website.
The Redlands Leisure & Community Park page can be found on Facebook.
Nowhere in this article does it mention that Dorset Council own the leisure centre and took the decision NOT to provide leisure and fitness provision to the local community.
I think it’s a bit cheeky to try and pass this off as something amazing that Dorset Council did – they refused to financially assist the centre to remain open. That is NOT something worthy of praise.
Redlands was inherited by Dorset Council from Weymouth and Portland Borough Council back in 2019. We were approached by the then-tenant (Weymouth College) who wanted to surrender their lease as the facility had been operating at a loss for years. We could have taken the easy option and blindly accepted that lease in order to sell off the land, but it was obvious that the community still highly-valued this asset. So we worked hard with Active Dorset to not only ensure Redlands stayed open, but that it could be developed further at minimal risk to the Dorset Council Tax payer. And we certainly aren’t taking all the credit; This new arrangement wouldn’t have happened without the passion and support of Redlands users, and the expertise and enthusiasm of Active Dorset – James