Charity's bid to save at-risk community centre

A charity wants to take over the running of a community centre on a housing estate where there is "nothing else" for children.

Gamesley Community Centre, near Glossop in Derbyshire, is used for activities including boxing, five-a-side football and a school holiday club.

It is currently owned by Derbyshire County Council and costs £150,000 a year to run but the authority will stop funding the site at the end of September.

It then hopes to hand the ownership of the building to the Gamesley Community Group, which is raising money to try to secure the future of the centre.

The group - now a registered charity - has so far raised about £50,000 towards the running costs.

Helen Thornhill, trustee of Gamesley Community Group, said: "When we found out the community centre could close, my heart sank.

"There was no regard for the social value for the area.

"If the boxing club closed, where would those young people go? There's nothing else for them, so without the centre it would be a very sorry state of affairs for Gamesley."

The community centre opened in 1974, shortly after the estate was built to relocate people from the slums of East Manchester.

The building has several rooms, a sports hall and five-a-side football pitches.

Matthew Hartle, who coaches football and boxing at the centre, said: "I've lived here all my life and I used to come here when I was young.

"It keeps the kids out of trouble and it gives them something positive to do. Getting away from home, X-boxes, TVs and phones.

"To see the kids hanging around at a youth club - its priceless isn't it?"

A spokesperson for Derbyshire County Council said: “In March we committed to keeping Gamesley Community Centre open until the end of September, to give the local community the best possible chance to put together a plan to take over the building from us.

"We’ve given the group every opportunity to take over the building, and we are still hopeful that they will be able to do this."

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