Kettering Leisure Village campaigner pleads for people to use complex

Kettering Leisure Village, known as KLV, was set to shut its doors entirely on 3 July, but parts are now remaining open

A campaigner who fought to keep a leisure site open said people needed to use it to make sure it would not shut.

Kettering Leisure Village (KLV), which houses the Lighthouse Theatre, Balance Health Club and Arena Sports Centre, was due to close on Monday, but was saved apart from its Conference Centre.

Jack Macdonald-Lucas said: "People should be using the KVL even more now."

Compass Group, which said the site was loss-making, is due to hand the tenancy back to Phoenix Leisure Management.

Phoenix will take over the running of the complex from 4 September. A North Northamptonshire Council grant of £337,000 is helping to pay for the site's continuation.

About 15,000 people had signed a petition hoping to keep KLV open after it was announced in April that it would shut.

The Lighthouse Theatre opened in May 2008 and seats more than 500 people

Mr MacDonald-Lucas, from the KLV Support Group, said: "I'm really pleased that the support team, community and staff working behind the scene managed to keep the building open. I'm pleased jobs have been saved.

"I'd just encourage people to get down to the KLV - we took it for granted. Once everything is back up and running, the more people that are down there and using it, the better.

Kettering Leisure Village campaigners attended a council meeting to urge it to step in to save the complex

"If you have a show, reach out to the Lighthouse. If you have a sports club, reach out to the arena.

"There's so much opportunity within the building that hasn't been utilised as well as it could be. This is a chance to really make this building fly and be a catalyst for change and improving Kettering."

Phoenix said it would be "reviewing the theatre programme schedule in the coming weeks and further details would then be provided".

Last week, North Northamptonshire Council leader Jason Smithers said he was "absolutely delighted that all parties have been able to agree a way forward", adding that "KLV is one of the area's premier leisure venues".