At the recent meeting of North Ayrshire Council’s Cabinet, elected members agreed that £43,000 of the Community Investment Fund (CIF) – a source of Council funding that empowers towns and villages across North Ayrshire – should go toward the development of a new community gym in Ardrossan.
Ardrossan Community Sport Hub (ACSH) aims to take the former Maximum Potential community gym assets and facilities, within the grounds of the Seafield School site, into community ownership to operate as a community gym.
The CIF funding will breathe new life into the derelict site in Ardrossan and will go towards hiring core staff who will support the initial delivery of the wider project to get the gym up and running.
There is currently no existing gym facility within Ardrossan and so the new community gym will offer low-cost, pay-as-you-go access to health and fitness in Ardrossan without the need to travel to a nearby town.
We were delighted to learn that our application for CIF funding was successful. This new community gym will make sport and fitness available to all those who are ordinarily excluded for reasons including age, health or physical ability.We will deliver fully coached classes, as well as functional fitness and strength and conditioning, all tailored to suit individual ability no matter what level of fitness the client may have.
The aim is to deliver the services of a high-end private facility at budget costs with community wellbeing at mind rather than profit. As a charity, every penny earned from memberships will be reinvested into expanding this service, and into the wider community.
This is really exciting news for Ardrossan and North Ayrshire as people can come and workout and help their locality at the same time. We plan to open as soon as staff are recruited, and restrictions allow.
– Scott Mould, ACSH Fitness Centre Lead
Helping our communities becoming fitter and healthier is one of our top priorities so this type of project is one that we are thrilled to support.I know that this new gym will be an invaluable addition to the community and enjoyed by so many people from all walks of life. It will be great to see this site in Ardrossan back in use, too.
Seeing community groups address local challenges, develop exciting community spaces and encourage the promotion of positive lifestyles is fantastic, and I would like to say well done to everyone involved in getting this fantastic new facility off the ground.
– Councillor Louise McPhater, Cabinet Member for Communities