A Pioneering Charitable Company
Early History
Carn Brea Leisure Centre is the largest community based Leisure Centre in Cornwall and one of the largest in the United Kingdom. When the Centre first opened in 1974 it was initially run by Kerrier District Council’s in house team. Later under CCT, the operation was transferred to an external contractor. This arrangement was not a happy one and after a long period of protracted difficulties the Centre was closed in November 1999.
There were no plans to re-open Carn Brea. Staff were made redundant and the future for leisure in the area looked bleak to say the least.
A small number of staff and users formed an action group to see if there might be some way to re-open the Centre under a different management arrangement.
This led to the formation of a Charitable Company which secured a 99 year operating lease from the local Council. On the 21st February 2000 after a three month closure the Centre re-opened.
Extremely Humble Beginnings
On the day of opening the only money available to fund the tills was £250 which had been raised by the over 50’s badminton club running a number of car boot sales. Staff were unsure if they would be paid for the first 14 days and the gym equipment was purchased with money lent by the Community Loan Fund.
The Board of Trustees, management team and everyone involved had to go through a steep learning curve in making the new business a going concern.
From just ‘hanging in there’ during the first few months of opening to becoming confident of survival the Centre went through a number of stages. After a year or so it was clear that the Trust had something very special to offer. Attendance figures began to increase and continue to do so.
From Survival to Stability to Growth
At around the 18 month point it became clear that not only could the Trust ‘survive’ but they could add an entirely new dimension to the Centre’s viability. Being independent meant that decisions could be taken quickly and a more responsive, customer focused and entrepreneurial approach is possible. Carn Brea now has a clear focus on providing customer wants and needs and this is reflected in our continued growth.
A key strategic decision was to move to a greater emphasis on individual brands. Instead of Carn Brea people now talk of ‘Studio 3’ at Carn Brea which offers the widest choice of dance and aerobics classes in West Cornwall, ‘Fastlane’ Swimschool at Carn Brea, with over 900 students currently enrolled on swimming lessons and ‘Definitions’ Health and Fitness suite at Carn Brea with over 2400 members.
The Carn Brea Vision
‘A friendly, well managed and vibrant leisure Centre at the heart of a strong and healthy community’
Key Steps
- To widen the involvement and participation of all sections of the community through the exploration of a range of diverse leisure activities.
- To ensure our financial viability to enable improvements to Carn Brea Leisure Centre and provide our customers with the best possible clean and modern facilities.
- To develop a comprehensive marketing programme to identify Carn Brea’s customer needs.
- To nurture and encourage staff commitment to the vision through personal and professional training and development
- To satisfy those needs to the best of our abilities.