THE future of a leisure centre hit hard by the pandemic is now secure thanks to a £145,000 rescue package.

Highworth town councillors unanimously supported providing £115,186.00 to the Halo Highworth Recreation centre until December 2021.

Of this, £30,000 comes from the council’s reserves, £38,186 from a Covid-19 grant, and £47,000 from a rise in the 2021/22 council tax precept which works out to a maximum increase of £30 per Band D household.

Swindon Borough Council will match-fund £30,000 on top of this. The centre’s board of trustees thanked the councils for their support.

Halo Leisure will provide monthly invoices to Highworth along with month-end actual accounts. All the requested funds will be retrospective and no more than shown in those accounts.

The council reserves the right to review the arrangement if the Rec’s financial situation changes significantly. If the centre becomes eligible for financial assistance from any other source, the HTC grant will be adjusted and payments reduced.

Coun Paul Newton-Smith said: “Like every other leisure centre across the UK, it has faced an enormous challenge this year.

“It was forced to go into lockdown to protect visitors' health, while knowing those same visitors rely on it for their physical and mental wellbeing, something that is so important during health crises like the pandemic.

“As a town council we felt it imperative to support such a valuable community asset.”

More people have been using the centre since the social enterprise and charity Halo Leisure took over its management. Last year, it recorded more than 23,000 visits to group exercise classes, more than 25,000 gym workouts, more than 24,000 public swims and 600 children in swimming lessons.

But then the pandemic hit and the centre racked up an £80,000 deficit during lockdown, with more losses forecast by the end of the year that would have led to closure.

Highworth Town Council held several meetings over the last two months to determine how much funding councillors could give the centre to help it balance the books and keep its doors open.

Centre manager Martin Suter said, “There has been some speculation over the future of the centre, which had healthy participation figures and was performing well before the pandemic. I would like to reassure all customers that the centre is open, safe, clean and ready to welcome them.

“The benefits of this centre are greater than the sum of its parts, and the industry as a whole has continued to call for public investment, pointing out that for every pound invested in sports and leisure now, there is a five-fold saving to the public purse in terms of health benefits.

“We know the tough times aren’t over and have worked hard to ensure this is a safe place to work out and wind down.

“We are determined to help preserve people’s sense of wellbeing, build children’s confidence, and help promote healthy living as the area works through this second phase of the pandemic and looks forward to a more positive, healthy 2021.”