A LEISURE centre has scored fourth out of hundreds of others in an inspection commissioned by Sport England.

Northallerton Leisure Centre, which features a 25 metre pool, a sports hall and a modern gym, joined 600 leisure centres which had been assessed by Quest.

Fiona Wilson, Northallerton Leisure Centre manager, said: ‘It was a very proud moment to receive the award on behalf of the centre.

“All the team here work incredibly hard and I’m delighted that their efforts have been recognised by Quest.”

Run by Sport England, Quest overlooks standards in leisure centres, whilst it also advises less-successful centres on the areas they can improve on.

Quest said its 2018 assessment showed the Northallerton Leisure Centre had ‘excelled’ in several areas.

Those included, delivering a service focussed on community needs and priorities, team and skill development, health and safety management, sales and retention, lifeguarding and financial management and performance.

In March 2018, the leisure centre received a £2.5m overhaul, which included a refurbished pool, a new changing village, new gym equipment, three times the available 'work out' space, and 24-hour access.

Councillor Bridget Fortune, cabinet member for leisure at Hambleton District Council, said: “We are delighted to win this award as it has given much deserved recognition to our dedicated and hardworking staff.

“We have a continuous improvement programme for the benefit of our customers, and Quest is a great way to demonstrate our achievements and the value of our skilled and customer-focused workforce.”

In 2017, Hambleton District Council, who owns and is responsible for the leisure centre, received national recognition in the 'National Operator of the Year for Operators Managing 2 - 10 leisure sites' in 2017.'