'Much-loved' ski centre to reopen, council says

A "much-loved" ski centre will reopen, a council has announced.

Rushmoor Borough Council said Alpine Snowsports Centre in Aldershot, Hampshire, was expected to reopen later this month "with a new operator at the helm".

Places Leisure, which currently operates and manages Aldershot Pools and Lido on behalf of the council, will be running the centre while the local authority explores long-term options for the facility.

Dave Jolliffe, area manager at Places Leisure, said he hoped the reopening "will create more opportunities for people to become active and enjoy sports that are not always as easily accessible".

The facility was built by the British Army in 1969 and was one of the longest synthetic ski slopes built in England at the time.

The council described it as "hugely popular", having previously attracted more than 25,000 users every year.

It had offered three dry ski slopes for open sessions, and lessons and activities for all ages.

It had also been a training venue for a number of high-level snow sports athletes who started their careers there.

The council said it had been informed "without warning" on 2 April that the company previously managing the centre, Active Nation UK Limited, had ceased trading at the site.

Since then, it has been taking legal advice and assessing options for its future operation.

The council's cabinet member for healthy communities and active lives, Sophie Porter, called the ski centre "an important facility for local people which we don't want to lose".

"It's been integral to the success of winning Special Olympic gold medals and it's the first place many people learned to ski," she said.

Mr Jolliffe added the Places Leisure team was "committed to improving people's lives and the communities in which they live".

"We hope that the reopening of the centre will create more opportunities for people to become active and enjoy sports that are not always as easily accessible," he added.

A date for the reopening will be confirmed after an audit, along with information about future events and bookings.

You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.