Catmose Sports Centre in Oakham has closed permanently

Hundreds of gym-goers completed their final workout before a sports centre closed permanently last week.

Catmose Sports Centre in Oakham closed on Friday (May 31) after Rutland County Council decided not to renew its contract with operator Stevenage Leisure Ltd.

The future of the centre had been uncertain for more than a year, but the council decided in April that it could no longer afford to subsidise the facility.

A group of sports centre members have been working on plans to set up a community-run facility in the town and will host a drop-in session this weekend to showcase their work so far.

They hope to open Oakham Co-operative Fitness as a non-profit community interest company to provide group fitness classes with the same sense of community that was experienced at Catmose. Premises in Oakham have been identified and the group is in talks with a landlord over renting the space.

Group member Andrea Gordon-Kerr said: “It’s looking very positive at the moment. We have submitted our application to form a Community Interest Company and once that is fully set up we will be able to explore more potential avenues for grants and set up costs.”

A GoFundMe page has raised £3,900 so far and more than 300 people are following the group’s progress on its Facebook page.

The team will be at Victoria Hall in High Street, Oakham, on Saturday (June 8) between 11am and 1pm to explain their ideas and answer questions.