Refurbishments have been made to the Lockswood Community and Sports Centre ahead of the mayor opening it next week.
Geoff Eales and Ray Randall paint the treatment room
The new managers – the Lockswood Community and Sports Association – which runs the centre, has had paint brushes in hand to decorate the new treatment room before Mayor of Fareham, Susan Bayford, officially opens it on September 10.
Councillor Bayford, who represents Locks Heath, and other dignitaries will be given a tour where they will see regular groups using the facilities at the opening and be given refreshments.
Committee chairman Geoff Eales and vice chairman Ray Randall have been improving the room after Fareham Borough Council funded a new floor and cupboards.
The committee hopes more organisations will come forward to use the facilities.
“We’re happy with it,” said Mr Randall. “We’ve put a lot of time in. Volunteering is hard work and I think we will reap the benefits in time.
“The biggest thing that’s my passion is to turn our activity room into a dance studio. There is currently not anything in this area, so we hope it will attract dance clubs to use it.
“It’s going to cost about £15,000 to make the walls soundproof, add mirrors, a wooden floor and dance bars.”
They have been getting the treatment room ready for use for the start of the school term, when most of the clubs and organisations will be back using the centre after the summer holidays.
Geoff Eales and Ray Randall decorate the treatment room ahead of the official opening
Age Concern has already booked a slot twice a week to use the treatment room. A health organisation has also expressed plans to rent the room as a consulting area on a couple of occasions each week.
Plans for the dance studio will be put into action once the committee has applied for and received funding grants.
The committee took over the management of the centre on August 1 from Fareham council with the help of £7,000 funding from the council to pay for the three employees.
As reported in The Gazette, the committee was formed to run the centre, which was losing around £56,000 per year. The six committee members anticipate the centre will be making a profit by this time next year.
Costs will be cut by £13,740 a year at the centre when, as a charity, it will no longer have to pay National Non Domestic Rates.
Ray Randall wants the activity room to become a dance studio
Also, five of the original eight employees at the centre took voluntary redundancy, which has further reduced costs.
Currently more than 30 clubs use the centre, which is open from Monday to Friday from 9am to 10pm, and on Saturdays from 9am to 1pm.