Stocksbridge Leisure Centre is at the heart of the Stocksbridge community. It is used not only by the local community but also attracts regular visitors from much further afield especially in relation to its Pentaqua Swimming Club and general swimming facilities, which are the best for many miles around.
The topology and history of Stocksbridge has forged a strong sense of local community with residents and the leisure centre is very much at the heart of this. The centre provides excellent sporting facilities including 2 swimming pools, new squash courts, gymnastics, indoor bowling, trampoling, indoor football and badminton.
Many local children walk there to participate in the clubs and activities, which is the only sports facility accessible for these children. Without this facility many children will be left with no recreational activities outside of school.
The low crime rate in Stocksbridge can be directly attributed to the excellent facilities that really keep the young people engaged after school.
There is a spatial imbalance between rich and poor in Sheffield and Stocksbridge falls into one of the lower socio-ecomonic bands for Sheffiled. It is important this area keeps its leisure centre at a time when there is an even greater and growing rich and poor divide, particularly evidenced between the North and South of the country.
The Olympic Games highlighted the importance of sport in uniting communities and giving young people new challenges and opportunities to excel outside the classroom. As has recently been highlighted in the media much of this investment has been focused in the south of England, with little of this money finding its way North. And yet many of our Olympic team have their roots in the North - with Sheffield featuring strongly.
Saving Stocksbridge Leisure Centre is important to young and old alike - for the young to continue in their pursuit of sporting goals and personalo aspirations and for others just having the option to keep fit, get out of the house and meet other people at a time when obesity is on the increase and costing the NHS billions of pounds each year.
If anybody is in any doubt whatsoever - just come along to one of the Pentaqua Swimming club meetings to see for yourself what a difference Stocksbridge Leisure Centre makes
