Public reports pack PDF 6 MB - East Lindsey District Council

Our Business Plan for Culture & LeisureFive Years of SuccessCommunity Leisure ProjectsNow the Council’s flagship sport and leisure venue, thenew £12.2M Meridian Leisure Centre hosts 14 local clubs,including Louth Swimming Club, Louth Storm Basketball Cluband the Jetz Gymnastics Club. The centre itself boasts:nnnnnnnnAn eight lane 25m swimming poolwith competition facilities;Leisure Pool with Flume and Galleon Pirate Ship;An 80 station, state of the art fitness suite;Health Suite with sauna and steam;A four badminton court sports hall;A split studio suite for dance & fitness classes.An IT suite to be used by the community &local education for courses and training.A multi-purpose room for parties andconferences and a range of activitiesOpening in February 2010 the Centre attracted 315,000visits in its first year of operation, by which time over 1900members were regularly using the facilities. The new centrehas also created 2 new business ventures through its café andchild day care/crèche franchises.Additionally, through the Community Leisure Project, theDistrict now has a new £1.3M football/cricket pavilion atLondon Road, Louth and a new £1.2M football/rugby pavilionat Wainfleet Road, Skegness and:nnnnnnTwo new Multi Activity Community Areas,in Louth and Sutton On Sea;A Skate Park and Sports Wall in Mablethorpe;The Xsite Extreme Sports Centre in Skegness;Bain Valley Park in Horncastle, previously a refuse tip;A Skate Park in Horncastle;Virtual Gyms in community hallslocated throughout the district.SO FestivalThe SO Festival emerged from our aspiration to develop newcultural activities, in partnership with Arts Council England,and has quickly become an established part of the regionalevents calendar. It builds on the tradition and heritage ofSkegness and surrounding area and links directly to London2012, scheduled deliberately to coincide with the OlympicOpen Weekend. SO plays a key role in the development ofa wider-reaching series of cultural, artistic, sporting andcommunity events in the area and aims to bring togetherlocal communities, artists and participants, with regionally,nationally and internationally acclaimed artists andperformers. The key aims for SO are to:nnnnBuild on the heritage of the area as alively, colourful and vigorous placeChallenge the perceptions of those outside SkegnessCapitalise on the UK’s love affair with the seasideIncrease the number of new visitors to the areannnnnnRevive the enthusiasm of localbusinesses to be the best in classExpose people to art forms they may be unfamiliar withChallenge people to have a go at something newProvide a platform to show off local skills and talentsBring together people of all ages, abilitiesand backgrounds in celebration; andMaximise community involvement in organisingand owning future cultural activity.From 10,000 visitors in 2009, to over 30,000 spectatorsand participants in 2010, SO Festival 2011 will involve evengreater levels of community involvement, in planning andperforming in the event.Children’s PlayThe Funk Bus - an innovative teenageplay vehicle - exceeded all targets withover 7000 visits from members of our community, and hasbeen cited as an example of best practice in its developmentand management. Coupled with £250k capital investment inplayground facilities from ELDC funds, and a further £186kfrom national Playbuilder funds, new play facilities havebeen provided in Friskney, Wainfleet St Mary, Willoughby,Skegness and Ingoldmells.‘Get Safe 4 Summer!’Since 2008 we have played a key part in ‘Get Safe 4Summer!’ a national campaign, promoted by the AmateurSwimming Association and Royal Lifesaving Society, thathighlights the dangers of water and encourages childrento have fun and stay safe when in or around water duringthe summer. Our East Coast location makes Skegness aprime venue for the now annual event. Since it began, 2500children have taken part.Splash time at MeridianLeisure Centre, LouthPage 55