A huge grant will help re-open a borough's leisure centres after months of closure.

Gravesham council has been awarded a grant of £224,000 to support Gravesham Community Leisure Limited (GCLL), the trust which runs Cascades and Cygnet Leisure Centres, to reopen and work on a road map to recovery after the huge losses suffered due to the pandemic.

The grant, from Sport England’s National Leisure Recovery Fund, will be used to help GCLL continue to provide a full range of leisure activities as soon as lockdown is lifted.

Cllr Shane Mochrie-Cox, cabinet member for community and leisure, said: “Physical activity and partaking in leisure activities has a huge impact on both physical and mental health and our borough leisure centres play a big part in providing a hub to enable us to do that.

"The council has already provided around £1m financial support to GCLL since the start of the pandemic a year ago, which has enabled them to get through the periods of closure and restricted operations when they have been allowed to open.

"The additional money will mean that once again our leisure centres are able to reopen promptly and safely, meaning residents of Gravesham can be assured that they will be able to once again visit the gym, play sports and go for a swim.

"Children will also be able to continue with activities such as swimming lessons which play a big part in their development and essential life skills.”

The authority also received an additional £1,542 as part of a monitoring and evaluation grant, which will provide an insight into how leisure centres perform as we recover from the impact of the pandemic and lockdowns.

For more information on the re-opening dates for both Cascades and Cygnet Leisure Centres, go to www.gcll.co.uk

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