New leisure centre head keen to make it 'a success'

Gateshead Leisure Centre has been closed for nearly a year

The new manager of a leisure centre which has been closed for almost a year said he was committed to making it "a success".

Anthony Kennedy said he was "99% certain" that Gateshead Leisure Centre would become a financial success after the council deemed it too costly to run.

The centre, which will be run by the community organisation Gateshead Active, is set to reopen on 14 June.

The site closed in July last year due to council cutbacks.

Mr Kennedy, 52, said he had done "just about every job" in the leisure centre, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"If I had not learned to swim here then my career would not have gone the way it has," he said.

"Most of my life has been spent as a swim teacher or a lifeguard so it is very personal for me to come back here, to get this place up and running and make it a success."

He said he wanted the leisure centre to not just be about sports but also a place where people could get a cup of tea and socialise.

"We know there are a lot of people around here who just cannot afford to heat their homes at the moment so this needs to be a safe and warm space for them," he said.

Memberships to the leisure centre start at £24.99 a month, he said.

"We have tried to price the memberships in a way that is accessible to the majority of people," said Mr Kennedy. "We know that most people here cannot afford to pay £45 or £50 a month."