Stocksbridge Leisure Centre charity given 25 year lease

Stocksbridge Leisure Centre reopened to the public in January

A leisure centre run by volunteers for the past six months has been granted a 25-year lease to keep it running.

In April 2013, Sheffield Council closed Stocksbridge Leisure Centre in the north of the city as part of council cuts of £50m.

A community group - For Stocksbridge Leisure centre (4SLC) - took over its running and reopened to the public in January.

The Charity Commission must still approve the award of the new lease.

4SLC said approval from the Commission would mean the pool could be repaired and reopened after a series of structural problems.

The lease is subject to Commission agreement because Stocksbridge Leisure Centre sits on part of Oxley Park, a charitable trust.

Fay Howard, of 4SLC, said the leisure centre was now run almost entirely by volunteers, plus a few paid staff.

"We are hoping that within three years Stocksbridge Leisure Centre will be cost-neutral, paying for itself," she said.