Liquidator appointed for leisure centre charity

Yarborough and Birchwood leisure centres closed on 3 April after Active Nation ceased trading

A liquidator has been appointed for the bankrupt charity that ran two public leisure centres in Lincoln.

Yarborough and Birchwood leisure centres closed on 3 April after Active Nation ceased trading.

Stockport-based firm Beesley Corporate Recovery has been appointed to handle the charity's insolvency process.

Both facilities are expected to fully reopen by mid-July after City of Lincoln Council, which owns the buildings, chose charitable social enterprise Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL) as the interim operator for them.

Some customers who paid for memberships in advance previously said they feared they would lose their money

At the time of the closures, Active Nation, a charity based in Warwickshire, blamed "the ongoing utility crisis and the challenges it has created" for the decision to cease trading.

Last year, it reported a deficit of more than £1m, which was shown in accounts submitted to an independent regulator.

The Charity Commission said it had "opened a case to assess concerns about the governance and financial management of Active Nation Limited".

Representatives of the insolvency firm said any equipment or other assets in the leisure centres, owned by the charity, would be sold to raise money, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Customers who believed they were owed money should contact Beesley Corporate Recovery by email.

GLL operates more than 250 leisure centres in partnership with local authorities around the country, including in neighbouring North Kesteven.

It has been appointed as the interim operator for a period of two years.

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