Penicuik Community Sports and Leisure Foundation
The foundation was established as a charity and not-for-profit company in early 2007 to operate the Ladywood Leisure Centre under a lease from Midlothian Council with runs until 2027. It has 1.5 full time equivalent employees and approximately 30 volunteers who keep the centre open from 9:00AM to 10:00PM on weekdays and on demand at weekend (which amounts to 9:00AM to 5:00PM) The lease includes the main centre building and the all weather pitch (AWP, see below) The centre building consists of:
* A fine games hall of sufficient size for four badminton courts, lit entirely artificially to standards which can be adjusted to the highest competition level, or otherwise to energy saving conditions.
* A general purpose room which accommodates about 60 people seated
* An adjacent prep room sufficient for meetings of around 12 people
* A kitchen connected to both rooms.
* A reception hall off which is the office and the toilets
* the main corridor to the games hall off which there is a further small office, male and female changing and shower rooms, and access to the present exterior all weather pitch.
* At the other end of the games hall there is access to what was a storage area but now contains a boxing ring and boxercise equipment. Leading from there are the boiler room, the electrics switch room, and stairs off to an upstairs loose storage area whose main purpose is to carry the ducting system and fans for heating/cooling.
New heating (gas fired boiler) and lighting systems were installed during 2008 with grants from WREN and the climate challenge fund. The CO2 output is projected to reduce by 100 tons p.a. As a result.
The all weather pitch presently lies about 50 metres from the centre building. It is due to be moved to a new location in March 2010.
The centre is used by up to 1800 people per week from all parts of Penicuik and beyond, utilisation of the facilities, just over 20% when the foundation assumed responsibility, is now well above 50%.
Two of the foundation's operating principles are to provide a service to the community and to be inclusive. The centre's programme has shifted away from the sports orientation when run by Midlothian Council to one with a strong community bias. Notable in the latter connection are the Friday Club for primary age youngsters the indoor bowls, community group and bingo sessions for senior citizens; the chest heart and stroke club, the pulmonary physiotherapy classes in conjunction with NHS Lothian and the local medical practises; programmes the centre runs in association with the John Chant Centre, Beeslack School, Parkhead Lodge, Childline Scotland; Penicuik Horticultural Society (the spring and autumn shows)... and so on. We allow youngsters the casual use of the AWP free of charge where there is no prior booking as part of the centre's contribution to "keeping youngsters off the streets", or apply a reduced rate if they wish to organize games between two teams. (For the future we are considering amending the second to free use provided the youngsters sign up for some kind of community service like litter pick-ups). A full note of the centre's ongoing programme is annexed.
There are less obvious aspects to the foundation's community values. The youngsters who come in for the football or bicycle tyre to be pumped up; or who are being threatened by their peers and are looking for a degree of re-assurance or protection; or have a minor injury to be dressed. Such youngster's first inclination is to come to the centre rather than go home. An unusual service is as the local public toilets with youngsters and, from the nearby terminus, Lothian bus drivers as the major beneficiaries.
The foundation strongly supports local businesses in its purchasing arrangements and in other ways; for example several of the organizations and clubs which use the centre's facilities are small businesses in their own right.
The third of the foundation's operating principles is that we pay our way. As a charity we receive a 95% rent rebate from Midlothian Council (equals about £17,500 pa). This is the council's only contribution- but a generous one to the centre's revenue funding although a number of small grants have been awarded for equipment purchases. In its first two years the foundation received nearly £110,000 in major grants the two mentioned earlier and £63,000 from the BigLottery fund to deploy a development worker during 2008/2009 to formulate and cost the foundation's business plan for the period to 2014
The proposal to build three extensions to the centre building is a major element of the business plan. If the planning application is successful and funding secured the extensions will ease the centre's significant storage problems, will provide more meeting, office and amenity space, and will fulfil one of the foundation's objectives from its earliest days of a physiotherapy resource for referrals from the local medical practices and elsewhere as well as a fitness suite for community use.
The second main element of the business plan is to recruit three more permanent employees to improve the effectiveness of the organization and to underpin the enormously valuable contribution from our volunteer workforce to the vitality of the Ladywood centre.
The pay our way principle has meant that the foundation secured an excess of income over expenditure of about £2000 in 2007/2008 and £6000 in 2008/2009. As a not for profict company all such funds have to be used to further the foundation's activities.
The foundation has achieved some distinctions. Our youngest volunteer was awarded the Midlothian Youth Award in 2007. The centre is accredited as an approved student placement provider to Jewel and Esk Valley College. Our volunteers were finalists in the Midlothian wide awards for organization and volunteer support respectively. In June 2009 the foundation was invited to give one of four presentations to a national conference on social enterprise and sport. We apologized in advance for having moved from a sporting to a community orientation. "That's the very thing we want to hear," said the oganizer (SENSCOT- Social Enterprise Network, Scotland)
Opening Times
Monday to Friday
9 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Saturday
Party Bookings
9 a.m. - 6.30 p.m.
Other Bookings
2 p.m. - 6.30p.m.
Sunday
Party Bookings
11.30 a.m. - 6.30 p.m.
Other Bookings
2 p.m. - 6.30p.m.
Bank Holidays
Closed
Cafe Facilities
Available for hire on request
