New leisure contract awarded for Brent
| Published: 19th July 2006 00:48 |
The council's Executive Committee agreed last night, Monday 17 July, to award the new five-year contract to manage Vale Farm Sports Centre, in Watford Road, north Wembley, to Leisure Connection, which currently manages it.
The new contract, which starts in November, protects existing services while ensuring better provision in some key areas.
The council has already been working with Leisure Connection to further improve standards at the centre.
The new contract guarantees that free swimming for older and disabled people, and for young people during school holidays, will continue at Vale Farm. The council's move to introduce the free sessions has proved immensely popular.
Among the other improvements, will be:
the creation of the borough's first exercise referral scheme, where GPs can prescribe free exercise sessions to patients with certain conditions the enlargement and modernisation of the gym more staff and an improved cleaning regime, to raise standards of customer service and care and a new Community Liaison Officer, funded by Leisure Connection and Brent, who will do outreach work to encourage more young and older people, women and girls, and people from black and minority ethnic groups, to take up exercise and sport.
Brent Council's Lead Member for Environment and Culture, Cllr Irwin Van Colle, said: "I am pleased the new contract will help us deliver improving services at Vale Farm.
"Brent Council has put a high priority on sports in the borough, both in providing good sports facilities and fostering a wide-range of sporting opportunities."
There has been significant investment in sports facilities in Brent in recent years.
There was a major refurbishment of the pool hall at Vale Farm early in 2006. Visitor numbers are rising, with more than double the amount of young swimmers using the centre during holidays.
The new Willesden Community Sports Centre, a first-class £16m facility with new pool, is due to open in November.
For more on sport on Brent, please visit www.brent.gov.uk/sports.nsf
Community Comment:
Add your comment:
You will need to sign in to post a comment to this article. if you do not have an AboutMyArea account, you can join now for free.
