Council’s Leisure review follows feedback from residents

Blackburn with Darwen Council has announced the results of its leisure review that will see some changes made to how centres are run.

The review of Daisyfield Pools and Shadsworth Leisure Centre will see the key things the public called for maintained including access to the ‘Learn to Swim’ lessons at Daisyfield and public swimming at Shadsworth.

A consultation began in October last year in the light of the Council’s reduced budget to find ways that the centres could continue to serve the community.

As a result of the discussions with interested parties including residents and services users, the alterations to the schedules at the centres will begin to be introduced from Monday, February 1.

At Shadsworth the Council is working with Blackburn Centurions Swimming Club that has expressed an interest in running the  pool for club training.

Crucially this arrangement would see a lane set aside for the public to use and maintaining the popular Friday night junior fun session.

The studios at Shadsworth will also be maintained and hired by the Dance School Academy. The dry side amenities including the Sports Hall, squash courts and gym will be open to the public from 5pm Monday to Friday.

This will allow the majority of activities to continue and bookings maintained.

From February 1, Daisyfield Pools will open for public swimming from 4pm Monday to Friday; weekend opening will remain the same.

The programme maintains busy sessions highlighted, through the consultation as being most important to the community. They include continued access to single sex swimming sessions, Learn to Swim lessons, lane swimming and the school swimming sessions.

Executive member for Culture, Leisure and Young People, Councillor Damian Talbot said:

“We’ve worked hard to make sure that residents are involved in the decisions we’ve had to take and to protect those services that they’ve told us are most important to them.

“Unfortunately with the budget constraints that the Council is facing these are changes we’ve had to introduce but we’ve done the best we can to minimise the impact.”