Sir Roger steps in to rescue Sports Centre

MILLIONAIRE-BACKED TRUST TAKES ON FOLKESTONE FACILITY

- By CATHERINE LANGSTON

SIR Roger De Haan has stepped in to save the popular Folkestone Sports Centre, outbidding housing developers to ensure its future as a hub for sport and recreation.

The centre, which offered everything from swimming and gymnastics to foot golf and a ski slope, closed abruptly in July of last year due to soaring costs and declining income. Nearly 9,000 people signed a petition calling for its rescue.

The Folkestone-based Sports Trust, backed by The Roger De Haan Charitable Trust, has officially exchanged contracts to acquire the site in Radnor Park Avenue. After months of negotiations with administrators and stakeholders, the trust is preparing to take ownership.

The Sports Trust already runs local venues including the F51 skatepark, Three Hills Sports Park, and Folkestone Sea Sports Centre.

The centre shut when its former operator, the Folkestone Sports Centre Trust, announced it could no longer cover skyrocketing costs - up £250,000 over two and a half years - while also facing falling income due to the cost-of-living crisis.