Sport NI invests almost £2m in leisure centre

The money will be used to help the Melvin sports centre improve training facilities for young boxers and gymnasts

A leisure centre in Strabane, County Tyrone, is to receive almost £2m in National Lottery-backed funding from Sport NI.

The money will pay for a new dedicated boxing facility and a new multi-use sports hall for gymnastics at the Melvin sports complex.

Derry City and Strabane District Council, who own the complex, has received a total of £1.845m from Sport NI’s National Lottery-funded Multi Facility Fund.

Northern Ireland’s Sports Minister Gordon Lyons said the funding would create “a fantastic community facility”.

He said it would “play an important role in helping more people to be more active, more often".

As well as creating dedicated spaces for boxing and gymnastics, the money will also fund new changing facilities and create extra storage space at the centre.

“Thanks to this investment, the Melvin Sports Complex will become a community hub for sport, providing more opportunities for sports clubs, community groups, youth groups, schools and residents from across Strabane to participate in sport and physical activity," Sport NI’s chief executive Richard Archibald said.

Mayor of Derry and Strabane Lilian Seenoi Barr said: “An investment in Melvin is an investment in the community of Strabane who use this centre regularly.”