VILLAGERS who saved their leisure centre from closure expect to get the keys to the facility next week.

Faced with Durham County Council cutbacks forcing the closure of the Linden Centre, Coxhoe residents launched a campaign to take over running the complex, on Linden Grove.

They were triumphant in July, when councillors agreed to hand over its management to their Future Leisure in Coxhoe (Flic) group.

The council has since continued running the centre. But responsibility will transfer to Flic following a handover ceremony on Wednesday, November 16.

Bernadette Knill, Flic’s secretary, said: "It’s very exciting. Looking back a few months, we thought there wasn’t going to be a centre here at all. It would have been a tragic loss. It’s very well used and well thought of.

"It’s wonderful the centre is being maintained. There isn’t another centre in the East Durham Area Action Partnership area and it’s very expensive for people to travel to Durham or Spennymoor.

"It needs to be the heart of our community and to help people keep fit and healthy for the future of Coxhoe."

Visitors will see few changes until the new year, Mrs Knill, a headteacher in Middlesbrough, said.

Then Flic hopes there will be: youth facilities, medical and health work, fitness classes, a centre of excellence for badminton and more.

Mrs Knill urged villagers to tell Flic what other activities they wanted organised.

Following complex legal negotiations, the centre will be run by manager Melanie Adams, two operations managers and a number of casual staff.

Mrs Knill said: "It’s been a huge effort from those involved. It’s a tribute to the group that we’ve managed to finalise a successful handover.

"This is the beginning of a new chapter for the centre and for Coxhoe."

Villagers are invited to attend the handover ceremony, to be held at the Linden Centre on Wednesday, November 16, at 4pm, where they can meet Flic members, view their plans and make suggestions.

Under the same cutbacks, Crook and Ferryhill leisure centres have closed, Pity Me’s had its hours cut, Ushaw Moor’s reopened as a gymnastics academy and Sherburn’s is set to reopen under new management.