Losses at a community leisure centre set to permanently close are projected to run into the tens of thousands.

The lease on Meopham Leisure Centre near Gravesend draws to a close on Friday, July 29 and managers have warned its extension is unlikely.

It will permanently close on that date in the absence of a "last minute solution", they warn.

Up until the last minute, supporters were trying to raise £30,000 to keep the centre open for a further six months to give those involved breathing space and a chance to strike up an agreement which suits all parties.

A donation page was set up and facility operators Serco Leisure gave fundraisers until Friday to raise the full sum but the target was not reached in time.

The facility is based at Meopham Secondary School and operated by The Swale Academies Trust (SAT) with day-to-day running managed by the Meopham Sport and Leisure Association (MSLA).

Yesterday, the trustees issued an update to confirm the planned closure later this month and said it was "humbled" by the support.

It added that it hoped key parties in the community will "step up" to protect the centre as a joint use facility between the school and the community, but said it was not in a position itself to guarantee the financial viability of the centre going forward.

In a further update today it provided a further insight into the centre's dire financial straits.

A statement read: "Last year Serco Leisure, our operators advised of its intent not to extend the contract given the financial losses the business experienced since lockdown - essentially the business is running at a loss as a result of members cancelling during Covid.

"Although the business has recovered well, it is still not yet at breakeven and the estimated losses are between £20-30,000 over the next six months."

MSLA had another operator lined up, but says the uncertainty surrounding the lease has put a stop to this opportunity.

It's understood the Trust is being advised by the government to charge the full commercial rate rather than the current peppercorn rate.

But the MSLA concluded that the risk of commercial rent being applied meant that even in the "best financial climate" it would have been impossible to balance the books.

"Although the community usage and membership subscription largely subsidises the business costs, it cannot withstand an around 434% increase in rental charges," it added.

"This the Trust hoped to explore further with SAT, but with margins so tight, any kind of impact would be near impossible to withstand within an sustainable business model."

As a result and factoring in the loss of the new operator, Serco were prepared to continue operating provided business losses were covered, it added.

It continued: "The idea was to give the Trust more time to negotiate the particulars of a longer term lease.

"Neither MSLA or Serco wanted to see the centre close or make the staff redundant.

"In order for Serco to continue the operation it is required that the local authority needed to act as guarantor, even if funds were coming from elsewhere, as this negated a risk any unforeseen eventualities."

But the association says support has "sadly not been forthcoming".

It concluded there is "just too much uncertainty" but trustees cling to some hope there could be a last minute solution which it says it will continue to explore.

Hundreds gathered outside the leisure centre last week to protest against it shutting down.

Gym goers and mental health campaigners say its closure would be deprive the local community of a vital asset and impact negatively on the wellbeing of residents.

SAT says it is engaged in "protracted discussions" but its priority is the education of children and not the subsidisation of third party organisations.