‘Nothing will change’ – boss

SCHOOL TO TAKE OVER SPORTS CENTRE

SCHOOL bosses have promised “nothing will change” when they take over the running of a community sports centre.

Cramlington Sporting Club is currently run by Active Northumberland, but responsibility is now due to be handed over to Cramlington Learning Village, where the football pitches, tennis courts and gym, among other facilities, are based.

But regular users of the site have been assured they should not see any significant changes once the new arrangement is finalised.

“It’s nothing remarkable,” said Jon Bird, co-headteacher at Cramlington Learning Village.

“It’s what a lot of schools are doing, in the past it was managed by Active Northumberland and now it’s going to be managed by staff managed by the school.

“Over the last two years we haven’t really had the facility open to the public, but the sports teams which come in will still be using the facilities in the same way and there will be no change for members of the community.

“It’s just that the staff will now be managed by us – nothing will change.”

While some facilities, including outdoor pitches and badminton courts, are understood to have reopened to the public following the coronavirus pandemic, others, such as the gym, remain off limits.

Bosses at the club are in the process of contacting regular users about the changes.

But communication about the process has prompted some concerns from members of Northumberland County Council.

Speaking at the Cramlington, Bedlington and Seaton Valley Local Area Council, councillor Wayne Daley, who represents the county’s Cramlington North ward, said: “It could be a really good idea, but it would be helpful if information could have been given to elected members in Cramlington.”