Wimborne's QE Leisure centre with 40 staff closes to the public

Protesters gathered in Wimborne and more than 4,000 people have signed petitions

A leisure centre is closing its doors to the public for the final time after a council withdrew its funding.

Thousands of people signed petitions against the closure of Queen Elizabeth Leisure Centre in Wimborne, which belongs to Queen Elizabeth School.

Dorset Council announced in 2022 it would be withdrawing a £500,000-a-year subsidy.

It said that of the centre's 40 permanent members of staff, three had been redeployed.

Campaigners held a protest against the closure on 16 March and more than 4,000 people have signed paper and online petitions.

Rebecca Il Ghany, who launched the petitions, said she remained hopeful the centre could be saved using a community-run model or external provider.

The leisure centre is owned by the school but has until now been operated by Dorset Council

She said: "The council are investing about three-quarters of a million into refurbishment, so that's an investment that should be taken advantage of."

The school run the centre - which includes a 25m swimming pool, a gym, sauna, steam room, climbing wall, sports hall and an outdoor sports pitch - from Monday.

Dorset Council said: "It will be for Queen Elizabeth School to determine if/how the public can access the facility after this date.

"As per our exit agreement with the school, we are providing around £730,000 in capital funding for repairs and maintenance."

Initio Learning Trust said: "We have explored every possible way of maintaining the leisure centre but without significant capital investment it simply is not viable.

"Dorset Council were asked to provide funding to support this development, but unfortunately they were unable to do so."

The trust said it was developing opportunities for community groups to hire the facilities.

Follow BBC South on Facebook, X, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail] or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2240.