STATEMENT BY ATHENA LEISURE


As the people of Calne are aware we have over the last few months been in discussion with Representatives of the NWDC in relation to proposing a business plan for the continuance of the usage of the White Horse leisure Centre by the Local Community.

We have now been informed by the NWDC that our latest proposal has again been rejected and in consequence and having given the matter detailed consideration Athena Leisure has decided it is not in the interests of the community to protract the matter any further and must therefore accept that our efforts to save the Centre regretfully must now come to a conclusion.

We thank all those within the community and those members of the Town Council who have supported our efforts to save the centre and in allowing us the opportunity of putting forward our proposals for the continuance of the Centre in the provision of sporting activities rather than its permanent closure.

We would particularly like to thank Jill Martin and Mick Davenport of the Calne Community Partnership for their unstinting support and efforts in representing the community and assisting us throughout with our discussions with the NWDC.


The reasons given by NWDC in their own words are as follows:
No guarantor for the £60,000 loan
There is no staff to TUPE – all staff have been re-deployed or made
redundant on 31st March 2007.
Any reopening of the Centre would lead to claims being made by
ex-employees.
Not indemnifying the Council against future claims from former employees
of NWLL made redundant.
Lack of clarity concerning ongoing maintenance and improvements to
the building and operational machinery.
The building is now under license to John Bentley School. A review of the license would be subject to the board of governors.

Thanks for trying Athena Leisure and Jill and Mick. I think we all knew that your chances were pretty slim after the first rejection. At least its election day today and if we're lucky we might get a new administration who actually care about Calne on the district council.

I have held off entering anything on this noticeboard until after the election for fear of being accused by anyone that I was trying to influence the voting. We now await the results of the election with more than a little interest.

As for the leisure centre, it was always going to be a mighty problem to fix. The bottom line was that the NWDC said that the Executive had decided to close our centre which meant that they had also decided not to spend any more money on it.

We came along with Athena and were told that we had to complete a Business Plan that would deliver a full indemnity against NWDC being sued by any staff who had been made redundent, would guarntee that Athena would spend their own money renovating and referbishing the centre where necessary (even though it was they and/or their agents who had allowed it to degenerate into the current state) to bring it back to a building in which people could be proud and prepared to take part in leisure and sporting activities and that £60,000 which had been earmarked to close the centre (which they were prepared to give as a lone) would have to be repaid in full if the centre were eventually to close with about two years.

It may come as a surprise to some of our supporters when I say that I understand the councils position but I hastily add that I think it is short sighted and lacks any vision or commitment to the people of Calne.

Athena had said that their plan was to run the centre for about three years during which time they would have completed the necessary work to design and build a brand new centre. Now I recognise that there would be many obsticles in their way before this aspiration could be delivered but on no occasion can I recall the council taking an interest in this plan and asking to speak to Athena to see how they could perhaps move things on. It appeared to me that in this respect when the Executive made their decision this meant that the Officers (with one exception) seemed to forget that Calne is full of real people with real leisure needs.

My personal view (and I emphasise that this can in no way be linked to any of the organisations to which I have membership) is the for some reason NWDC (officers driven by the Executive) had turned their face away from Athena in principle. The same can be said about one or two members of the town council who never asked to meet with us to express their fears or reservations. Thank goodness for the great majority of the town council who stood their ground and supported us through thick and thin. Without mentioning names I would like to offer a personal thank you to those galant folk.

My vision for Calne was that within a relatively short period of time (say) three years we could have had a state of the art field sports facilites at Beversbrook coupled with a sports development and leisure centre of excellence that the whole town could have been proud of. I am pleased that John Bently School has secured access to the sports hall but to allow our building to be used for this small and selective activity is an amsolute nonsence and (again from a totally personal perspective) an insult to the rest of the town's people.

Participartion in sport and sport related leisure provides much more than enjoyment for the particpants. If we catch people at a young enough age participatio in team sport can help to shape their attitudes and behaviour towards personal development coupled with an acceptance that the views and opinions of others are just as important as their own. Sport builds an acceptance of team belonging, responsibility, mutual respect and accountability and a sense of achievment and growth in self esteme. All of this is now gone and our building is a rotting hulk. The boading up of the centre represents the closed minds of those who could not see beyond this years budget into next year's achievments.

Finally, thank you for all of the messages of support we have received in this battle. Thank you to the majority of our town councillors and in particular to Athena who were kicked and abused in these pages by people who in some cases had never met them. I honestly feel that any other organisation would have left the scene many weeks ago but on more than one occasion they expressed a genuine and heartfelt desire to deliver their vision for the people of Calne - and before any of the doubters go for my throat on this comment, I recognise that they were in it to make money - they are a private business and that is what businesses do.

I would not like anyone to think that the war is over but it has to be recognised that other people had a much larger force than our own which caused us to loose this battle. If any opportunity comes along to open the centre then Jill and I will be there.

It's no surprise that Athena Leisure have been rebuffed yet again by the 'jobsworths' at NWDC, and one can hardly blame them for finally pulling out.

All right-thinking people in Calne will wish to thank Athen Leisure, and the good people of the Calne Community Area Partnership (hope I've got that title right, but we all know who you are!) for their unstinting efforts to save the White Horse Leisure Centre.

But I see a very faint glimmer of hope in the fact that there is now a new administration at Monkton Park, and many of the successful Conservative councillors are there purely because of local fury at the mess the LobDems made of running the District, most notably on the questions of car parking charges and, of course, the Leisure Centres, of which (surprise, surprise!) all except Calne's are still open (for how long reminas to be seen). We can only hope that the new Council will be a bit more community-minded than the last wnd will realise how much the sport and leisure facilities provided by Centres like the White Horse Centre are actually needed.

So whilst saying "Thank you" again to Athena Leisure and Mike, Jill and co., I still hope they will all keep a careful eye on how the new NWDC administration shapes up, because it is still not too late to achieve a U-turn!

Thanks, everybody!

Just to echo Brian's comment. As a life-long Lib/Lib-Dem voter I had to swallow my pride and contribute to voting them out at the election last week.

I had mailed my sitting district councillor a few times and never even had the courtesy of a reply. A longish email sent to Dick Tonge yesterday, after reading his remarks about the leisure issues, especially in relation to Calne, elicited a response in a couple of hours (on a Bank Holiday as well). Admittedly not directly from Dick, but neverthless encouraging, and clear that the content of the mail had been read. The gist of the reply was that they do not yet know what resource is available but will be reviewing urgently (all matters, not just leisure).

There is a glimmer of hope, but it needs many people to contact Dick and the local Tory reps on the District Council, directly to let them know the depth of feeling in Calne and then action may be taken. His email can be found on the NWDC site.

I won't be holding my breath on anything really changing, and clearly Athena won't now be involved, but perhaps there is a small hope.

Call me suspicious, but with fewer swimming pools to satsfy public demand, KDC chose to increase the charges in Devizes. A cynical move IMHO. http://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/search/display.var.1294393.0.parents_anger_over_swimming_charges.php

I have so many thoughts buzzing around in my head that I don't really know where to start!

It would appear that because the WHLC HAS closed and comments have ceased in this column that maybe the Leisure Centre business is finally over, - well - not so, my friends.

I would like to say how very foolish the Liberal Democrats are. During my childhood and teenage years, my parents would always comment that a Liberal vote was a wasted vote as not enough people had sufficient confidence in their ability to run the country on a national or even local level. Well, over many years, they have gradually clawed their way up through the political ranks to be an acceptable force to be reckoned with. But the amount of people in Calne who have voiced the comment to me that since the way the NWDC has dismissed the needs of Calne people over the closure of the Leisure Centre, they, and many of their friends and families would never again vote Liberal in any election whether local or national, and the proof of that has been seen in the recent result in the local Poll. It would seem that after years of struggling to the top, they have now shot themselves in the foot!.

So many people are angry over the closure of the WHLC, I could write for weeks! From the young mothers whose children have been or will be denied the pleasure of swimming (and have openly told me that after years of voting Lib.Dem, this time they voted Conservative to hopefully bring about a change of policy by the Council) to the retired ,elderly and disabled people for whom use of the swimming pool was the highlight of their week (not my words but theirs) - how very tragic that this has been allowed to happen.

So, Although it may appear that things have gone quiet and the whole thing has died a death - don't be deceived - people are simmering over this "natiional disgrace" as one woman put it, and I don't think people will ever forgive the Liberals - I for one, certainly will not.

I have joined St Mary's Sports Centre and yesterday I heard the comment that there is a waiting list to join as the centre is now full and can't accomodate any more people!. So much for Mr. Dolman's emphatic statement that hardly anyone used the WHLC which was the cause of it's demise !! What utter rot and Hogwash!!!!!.

Elaine,

You're right, the Liberal Democrats have hardly covered themselves in glory over this. People are angry - indeed justly furious - and will never vote for them again. Instead, they'll probably return to vote for a party that cynically destroyed our mining industry, began to dismantle the NHS and has shown time and time again that it couldn't give a flying fig about the vast majority of people in this country. All parties make mistakes. My lot made a right dog's dinner of it in NWW. I'm certainly not defending them over the bad decision and poor communication but to imply that they (we?) can never be trusted is a bit strong. There are a lot of good LDs trying their best in Calne. And a lot of them are deeply unhappy with some of the decisions that were taken. As I think was recognised by a fair few of the electors in the recent elections.

Don

Hang your heads in shame NWDC ~ you should be thoroughly ashamed of yourselves...!!

well it's been a few weeks since the elections and the town councillors have seat for the first time.now we have the right people.how long do we have to wait for news about the w.h.l.c.we have to kep on fighting to save it with jill martin on the town council and we have a good chance of doing that.we must not let this go quiet and to keep the pressure on n.w.d.c