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This page contains archives of all the news from the struggle to prevent the closure of the Leisure Centre.
01/04/07 - First day of KLIC Management
Many thanks to all the volunteers who helped out today, improving the
appearance of the Centre with a little painting and adding some floral decoration to make the Centre more
attractive and fresh-looking. Thanks are also due to those who provided the materials and plants.
The sun shined, and refreshments were provided for all who came to help. Here are some pictures:
An open meeting was held in the Sports Hall at 19:30. KLIC personnel made presentations detailing
a lot of the work which has been needed in taking over the Centre, thanking those who have helped,
and presenting some of the many things which still need to be done. Some key points:
- We have lost the Centre manager and his deputy in the shake-out of former NWLL and NWDC leisure posts
- We can now welcome several new workers to the staff who were interviewed and appointed over the last few days
- Tee-shirts with KLIC branding are available for purchase
- We need everyone to help by taking out KLIC memberships
- Contract cleaning will be used in further tidying-up of the Centre, for health and safety reasons
- The Bar is being replaced by Arkells Brewery, and should be ready for use by the end of the Easter holiday
- A party is planned to celebrate the taking over of the Leisure Centre, provisionally at the end of April
25/03/07 - KLIC Membership Forms available!
Membership forms are now available for you to join the centre under KLIC management.
Taking out a membership is one of the best ways of helping the centre financially.
Please download details of the current Memberships available here.
This includes an application form and standing order form for your bank. Alternatively, you can fill these in at the centre.
06/03/07 - Leisure Centre Saved from Closure in April!
At a morning meeting on Tuesday 6th March 2007, the NWDC agreed to provide the £60,000 required
for KLIC to start running the Leisure Centre as of 1st April.
Many thanks to all of you who have helped make this possible.
Over the next three weeks, we will be holding another public meeting to discuss details of
what is happening and what needs to be done so that we can successfully take over the centre
in April.
02/03/07 - Hands around the Leisure Centre
Thanks to all those who turned up, especially the children from St Sampsons and the
Thames Preschool, plus their teachers and the pre-school staff, to link hands
around the Leisure Centre at 1:15pm today. You can see reports and pictures in the local
newspapers from before,
during and
after
the event, complete with local MP James Gray.
25/02/07 - Meeting in Cricklade Town Hall
Thanks to all of you who attended the public meeting in Cricklade Town Hall at 6.00pm to
update the town on recent events, and our plans for the future.
Speakers were Gary Walker, John Simmons, Councillor Michael Hatton, Jo Britten and Dave Booth.
Click here to see the slides which accompanied their presentations.
The meeting ended with requests to sign up for membership packages, support publicity
events and help apply pressure to the council if they do not support our aims.
19/02/07 - Leisure Centre to remain open until end March
Many thanks to those of you who turned out to take part in the protest outside the NWDC
offices at Monkton Park in Chippenham, and thanks also to the Town Crier for his able
leading of many choruses of "Save Our Leisure Centre". It was a great feeling when
NWDC's leader, Carol O'Gorman, came out to tell us of that the Centre would be saved
and the staff paid by the council until the end of March at least.
We appear to have won
a time during which we can work together to further our plans to save the Centre.
16/02/07 - NWLL Liquidation Crisis
During today, North Wilts Leisure Limited decided to go into liquidation after NWDC had refused to fund
further requested increases in their operating costs in a meeting late yesterday.
The press, key figures involved, and supporters of all six leisure centres affected have been
meeting at the centres to discuss the many implications of this crisis.
Thanks to all who came to Cricklade Centre this evening, in case they might be
needed to help prevent it's closure: the current position is that all the centres are due to remain
open until the end of Monday. Meetings are expected to take place on Monday to decide
how and if the centres will open beyond that date.
Please refer to our press page to see the latest information from the press.
15/02/07 - Matt Le Tissier visits Cricklade Leisure Centre
The legendary Southampton footballer called in to Cricklade Leisure Centre shortly before 5PM, and met
young people and members of the press to express his views on the importance of
having local leisure facilities to encourage children to play sport. He wore a campaign
T-shirt so all could see his views.
07/02/07 - District Council rejects KLIC business plan
The district council have announced a deal with DC Leisure to run four of the Leisure Centres at risk,
excluding Cricklade. They are not offering to give £70,000 in support of Cricklade.
They have been instructed to continue discussions with us, but it is not clear what this means at this time.
06/02/07 - Town Hall Meeting arranged by Town Council
Cricklade Town Council was full for a a public meeting arranged by the Town Council at 7pm.
The Town Council has firmly committed to paying £20,000 towards
the £90,000 sought in total to help in the first year of KLIC's business plan for saving the leisure
centre, and wanted a decision on which of two funding options should be used to raise this money.
The meeting chose to raise half the money by drawing on the Town Council's reserves and only half
(£11.85 per annum for band D properties) from local council tax. We are now waiting to see
whether the District Council will contribute their £70,000 towards the plan as requested.
See reports from the Swindon Advertiser site
here and
here.
27/01/07 - Replies to Leisure Centre Queries
Supporters have been very pro-active contacting various influential people - we have received some reponses.
Their letters are available for you to view - click here.
09/01/07 - Survey of Leisure Centre Users
We are running a Survey to find out who uses the leisure centre, for what, and what
services they would like it to supply in future. You can fill it in online by
clicking here OR you can fill it in in writing, and return it,
when you are given one by one of the volunteers who will be handing copies out over the
next few weeks. The information will be used assess the future provision to be made at the Centre.
17/12/06 10am - Free Christmas Party
Cricklade Leisure
Centre held a a free Christmas Party on Sunday December 17th for Cricklade residents
to say THANKYOU for all of their support.
Details and pictures here...
14/12/06 - E-Petition to Prime Minister online
An e-petition has been but in place on the Downing Street website
to allow us to register our feelings directly to No.10 electronically.
Please sign the petition
here... before 14-Mar-2007
13/12/06 - KLIC Meeting
A meeting of the Keep Leisure in Cricklade group was held
in the meeting room at the Red Lion Inn on Wenesday 13th December
at 7pm.
13/12/06 - Commons Debate:
"Sport and Leisure (North Wiltshire)"
A debate was brought to the house of commons by James Gray MP and supported by Michael Wills MP.
They are answered by Mr David Lammy, The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of
State for Culture, Media and Sport, who indicates that there may be some help from the
government for the Leisure Centre. You can read the debate in full in Hansard Online
here...
05/12/06 7pm - North Wilsthire District Council
Meeting
NWDC met for the first time since the decision was made. The
meeting took place in Chippenham and a BIG demonstration took place
- including lots of faces from Cricklade. See the photo gallery
here...
03/12/06 5pm - Public Meeting, Cricklade Town
Hall
A well-attended meeting was held to present the latest developments in the fight
against closure. The Action Group heading this fight provided
an update on progress and the forthcoming plans. Volunteers came forward to
form teams to work on specific aspects of the fight in the weeks ahead.
01/12/06 11am - Children's Protest!!
 We
had a great morning in the High Street! All of St Sampson's
Junior school came along together with Prior Park Prep school and
some of the Infants. We may loads of noise! Many thanks to
the Police for supporting us with this - it would not have been
possible without you. And again - many thanks also to all
of the press who came along and gave us such fantastic coverage! Activities
such as this cannot be ignored and your voices are most certainly
being heard! Keep it up!
30/11/06 6pm - Statement from NWL. Centre
to remain open until March 31st 2007
Thanks to the efforts of the Action group and the fantastic support
from the residents of Cricklade, we are pleased to be able to anounce
that the Leisure Centre is to remain open until 31st March 2007.
This is the first obstacle that we really had to overcome.
We now have 3 months in which to discuss and prepare a business
plan to ensure that the centre remains open indefinitely.
This is not the end - this is the start of a serious campaign to
ensure that the Leisure Centre is managed, financed and supported
correctly and that Cricklade retains the facilities that it desperately
needs. Read the full NWL statement here...
27/11/06 7pm - Cricklade Town Council Meeting
There is a full meeting of the CTC at 7pm at the Town Hall.
Only 30 visitors will be able to fit in the hall, but please support
the Council in their efforts to get this ridiculous situation reversed.
27/11/06 3pm - Protest at the Leisure Centre!
 Almost
500 people turned up at the Leisure Centre to make their feelings
known to a whole host of TV and Newspaper reporters from the BBC,
ITV, BBC Radio, and all of the local papers. Many children from
St Sampsons Infants and Junior School brought along their banners
and signs showing just how strongly they felt. Many thanks to
everyone who came along and showed their support. Keep it up!
Support like this WILL make a difference. (Picture
courtesy of Swindon Advertiser)
26/11/06 3pm - Public Meeting at the Leisure Centre
An initial meeting was held at the Leisure Centre to discuss the
proposed closure and to find volunteers to form the Action Group.
Mike Hatton from NWDC explained some of the history and reasons
for the council's actions and expressed his dismay at their decision.
Clive Wilce from Cricklade Town Council also spoke of his disappointment
and his support for the protest against its closure. As a
result of the meeting, a number of volunteers stepped forward to
form the Action Group. This is headed by Gary Walker who can
be contacted here.. If you would
like to join this group, please get in touch.
Gazette & Herald Campaign - Click the campaign image to
see the page of resources provided by the Gazette & Herald to help in the campaign to save the Leisure Centres.
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