South Dorset Community Sports Trust (SDCST) was set up in 1999 to address the lack of affordable sports and recreational facilities available in the area of South Dorset, especially Portland and Weymouth. It was well known at the time that the Navy who had built the centre was intending to vacate and the local community set up the Trust to procure the site for the public when the MOD disposed of the property, this eventually occurring in 2007.
Recently the centre has won awards for progressive thinking and action on energy saving, sustainable and renewable energy initiatives. The Trust is a leading example of how to turn a business around from wasting most of its income on unnecessary utility consumption to being at the forefront of testing new products that other site operator’s visit from miles around to see how they might improve their own business.
The Aviva Community Fund offers the chance for local community projects to win funding because together with the community, more can be done for the causes that matter. People are being asked to register votes on the website for the Osprey Leisure Centre application. Please vote here : https://community-fund.aviva.co.uk/voting/project/view/16-426
Aarron Riley, Operations Manager of the Osprey Leisure Centre said “As a community Leisure Centre who receives no public funding or support we have to rely on our own funding efforts and initiatives such as the Aviva community fund to continue to improve the facilities at the Leisure Centre. The ladies changing rooms are in need of refurbishment and if we are successful with our application it will enable us to refurbish the toilets, showers and changing area. We have recently participated in a scheme to encourage non active adults to start swimming on a more regular basis and we feel our retention rate will be higher if we can improve these key facilities.”
