Charity will run Hirst Welfare Centre in Ashington after Active Northumberland is wound up

Ashington Joint Welfare Scheme owns the centre and has operated it in the past, and will do so once again from April.

Active Northumberland will be wound up after Northumberland County Council opted to award the contract to run the county’s leisure centres to an external company.

Brian Shotton, who was appointed as Hirst Welfare’s development manager in October to oversee the transition, said: “It has been a part of Ashington’s fabric for over 100 years now in different guises. There is lots of history in this area of the town and on the site itself.

“Obviously we want to sustain it and see it thrive, and be part of the town’s fabric for many years to come.”

He added: “I think it is only a positive for the area and the town. It is an excellent opportunity for us to put the Hirst Welfare Centre back on the map and really establish it in this part of Ashington that has not got a lot of facilities in that respect.”

In Brian’s view, Active Northumberland had done a good job of running the “vitally important” centre, but there was now an opportunity to engage more with the community, increase the activities on offer, and engage with more young people.

He said: “Notoriously the Hirst is one of the more deprived areas of Northumberland, unfortunately.

“But that gives us an opportunity to improve people's lives in this area and enhance the offering that the centre has, try to put on as many activities as we can, and engage other organisations to come in and operate out of here as well.”

Ashington Joint Welfare Scheme trustee Gail Ballance said: “Our board of trustees are all volunteers so it is a lot of hard work, but we have got some fantastic support.

“There is an awful lot of hard work still to be done but it is really exciting, the plans that are in place.”

The charity recently received a Youth Investment Fund grant of nearly £95,000 to make physical alterations to the centre, which will allow it to run new youth-focused activities.

Gail said: “The refurbishment enables us to, alongside that new programme of activity, create a welcoming space so that we can get young people back in the building and give them access to services and activities that are going to help them.”

Improvement works include a new entrance that is more separated from the nursery and interior refurbishments, including a dedicated space for young people.

Gail said: “It will give young people an opportunity to take part in activities that help them build their confidence, build their self esteem, improve their mental well-being, and support them to develop skills.”

She added: “[The grant] was amazing news, coinciding with all the other work that we are doing to take the centre back.

“It was a lot of hard work to get the grant information, a lot of information we had to provide, so it was great to get the investment, not just for us as a charity but great that we can improve our offer for young people in Ashington as well.”