Refurbished Cornwall leisure centre set to reopen

A leisure centre in Cornwall is set to reopen to the public on Monday.

Falmouth's Ships and Castles was closed by Cornwall Council in April 2022 after the former operator Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL) said it could no longer afford to keep it open.

It was subsequently acquired by the Pendennis Leisure charity on a 125-year lease after the land was sold to Falmouth Town Council for £1.

The site will reopen under the name Pendennis Community Centre.

The centre will feature a café, two studios and a brand new timetable of classes.

The group said they were also on the lookout for extra volunteers.

Ruth Collett, who will be running pet behaviourist classes at the centre, said she was "really excited".

"I loved Ships and Castles. My three children learned to swim here, and I feel it's really sad the pool closed down," she said.

"The more this building is used by the community, the better."

Gemma Adams, a trustee with Pendennis Leisure charity, spoke to BBC Radio Cornwall about the decision to rename the centre.

"Loads of people have got positive memories of what it was as Ships and Castles, but it isn't that anymore - we need to move forward," she said.

"It does what it says on the tin: it's a community centre, it's a space with the community at its heart and moving forward we want to rebuild a leisure centre here."

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