ABOUT Ashington Leisure Partnership
Our Aim
When Ashington Leisure Partnership was created in 2012 it had the aim of assisting the people of Ashington and surrounding area in accessing sport and recreation activities through:
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provision of such facilities and, or
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provision of how they can participate.
Aim (i) required amendment when the provision element no longer existed due to the closure of the ‘old’ leisure facilities in 2015. The Trustees went through a process of review and determined that this aim going forward would be amended to assist other organisations in the provision of sport and recreation facilities and, or activities for the benefit of the people of Ashington and surrounding area.
Objects
The revised objects agreed by the Charity Commission in 2017 Charity's objects are specifically restricted to the following wholly charitable purposes, in each case for the benefit of people living in Ashington and the surrounding area:
To provide, or assist in the provision of, facilities for sport, recreation or other leisure time occupation to such persons who have need of such facilities by reason of their youth, age, ill-health, disability, poverty or social and economic circumstances or for the public at large in the interests of social welfare and with the object of improving their conditions of life;
- To promote and protect good physical and mental health through the medium of sport or recreation.
- To advance education (including academic and physical education) and training in sport and healthy recreation including sports science, sports coaching, physiotherapy, diet and nutrition, and related subjects.
In particular (but without limitation) by providing grants and other forms of financial assistance.
Our Strategy 2017 to 2022, and forward
The primary objective of the Trust is to enable the betterment of the lives of people living in Ashington and surrounding area through revenue and/or capital grants consistent with our objects above. The grants will be subject to monetary limits set on an annual basis. Assessment of those limits will be resolved by the Trustees and determined based on forecasts of interest earned on investments and account balances.
There will be two grant streams:
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ALP John Talbot Small Grants Award: -
In recognition of the individual whose legacy included a large donation to the Trust the small grant scheme was established. This award scheme is aimed at applications for smaller sums ranging from £250 to £500 from individuals or sporting organisations located in Ashington or surrounding area and seeking financial assistance within the purpose of the Trust objects above. The small grant scheme is mainly applicable to young people still in full time education up to the age of 21. It can also apply to sporting/recreation clubs/organisations seeking to improve the skills set of their members by use of more highly qualified instructors within their organisation or possibly travel expenses to attend Regional, National, International training or events.
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ALP Large Community Grants Award: -
This scheme is open to local organisations requiring capital or revenue finance to provide sport, recreation, communities facilities and, or activities in Ashington and surrounding area that benefit people in line with the Charity objects. ALP would expect that the organisation forwarding a large grant application to have already raised funds or they are attempting to secure “match” funding from alternative sources and that ALP would be prepared, in most cases, to meet any short fall to the overall project’s financial requirements
To encourage applications, there will be a publicity campaign and new marketing materials designed. The Charity website will promote both Awards and provide online application forms.
Applications will be considered by a sub-committee of at least 3 Trustees. Successful applicants will be required to provide a feedback sheet on how the grant was used and the difference it made to the individual/organisation.
Ashington Leisure Partnership History
2010
It was recognised in early 2010 by a number of newly appointed Trustees that the previous trust, Ashington Leisure Centre Trust (522027) formed in 1967 needed to be totally reorganised to reflect a number of major industrial changes and council boundary alterations. These included the demise of the NCB/NUM Organisations and closure of Wansbeck District Council, these two groups providing the bulk of Trustees to the old Trust.
2011 - 2012
During 2011, with guidance from a solicitor (Hempsons) a total governance review of the old Trust was conducted which including establishing land title deeds with Land Registry, a total review of the existing Articles of Association. This resulted in the production of a revised Articles of Association document and a newly structured formation of Trustees, known as Ashington Leisure Partnership (Charitable Trust) 1146440 which was registered with the Charities Commission in 2012.
2013 -2015
There were two main buildings, Ashington Institute building and the Leisure Centre building plus two nearby houses, identified on the Land Registry document. The two main buildings being used for sport and recreation these were operationally managed under a Service Level Agreement agreed with Active Northumberland (a subsidiary charitable organisation of Northumberland County Council) with the Ashington Leisure Partnership Trustees performing a monitoring role of the activities taking place in the Centre.
Unfortunately, during this period several major building/structural problems occurred, leaking roof, mechanical issues relating to plant equipment that had an impact upon the operational running of the centre and these required large capital investment to rectify. Northumberland County Council decide to canvass a public opinion and a press and meeting campaign was launched to establish the need for continuance of the existing centre or whether a new Leisure Centre should be constructed
2015 -2018
Pamphlets were produced by Northumberland County Council distributed within the Ashington and surrounding area and a number consultation meetings held to gauge public opinion regarding preferred options and site location for a new centre. This resulted overwhelmingly that a new centre was the preferred option and work began with the construction of the new Ashington Leisure Centre located on the old ASDA shopping site in Ashington. Consequently, the old leisure centre and Institute Building were closed to the public in late 2016.
With the above decision already in place, Ashington Leisure Partnership Trustees entered a joint sales venture with Nortumberland County Council in the process of marketing and advertising the old Centre. ALP re-examined its aims and purpose which resulted in a mini revision to the Articles of Association which were agreed by the Charity Commission in 2017.
Following a lengthy exercise, the total site area was eventually sold to Gleesons, a Building/Construction company in 2016/17 and the total site including all buildings demolished in preparation for the construction of 51 homes.