Pendennis Leisure, Falmouth celebrating first birthday today

Exactly one year ago today (September 18) they opened the doors as Pendennis Community Centre, after a month of frantic painting, fixing, plumbing, wiring, scrubbing, shifting, building, weeding, mowing, and lots and lots of cleaning by a swarm of lovely generous hard working volunteers.

Cake is on offer! (Image: Gemma Adams)

After the swimming pool was decommissioned and the leisure centre emptied and closed in March 2022, they spent a year persuading Cornwall Council to give the site to the community, and another eight months negotiating the asset transfer.

Finally, with just a week’s notice, they signed the lease in August 2023 and then rallied friends, family and anyone else we could muster to get the site safe and ready for the public.

In post on Facebook the team of trustees behind the community interest company which took over the site Matthew, Gemma, Mark & Chris said everyone agreed, even with no pool, the centre should re-open while we worked out a way of getting Falmouth the swimming facilities the town deserves.

Volunteers got together to make the leisure centre spick and span (Image: Pendennis Leisure)

“Now, powered by a team of almost 40 volunteers, a brilliant coordinator and a squad of inspirational professional trainers, we can look back on an incredible first year,” they said.

“Proving the centre is viable as a community health and well-being hub is a vital part of our continuing journey to getting a functioning, sustainable swimming pool back for our community.

“None of this would have happened without a huge amount of generosity and help at all hours of day and night from local people and businesses giving thousands of hours and pounds to the cause. Pendennis Leisure trustees offer a huge and heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you!”

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They said in the past 12 months their professional trainers had run over 1,200 exercise classes for almost 6,000 participants.

“They couldn’t have done this without support of our wonderful volunteers who really are the heart and soul of the Centre - we cannot thank them enough for their service,” they said in the post.

Volunteers got together to make the leisure centre spick and span (Image: Pendennis Leisure)

“Our volunteers have enabled almost 1200 children to play in our crèche, our studios to be hired out 300 times for community events and our community café to open every morning every day for a whole year. They’ve brewed over 4,000 hot drinks and sold over 1,000 cakes.

“Thank you to everyone who has attended a class, bought a coffee or cake, attended one of our community events such as Puppy Classes, Gong Baths, Meditation Sessions, French and Spanish Classes, Christmas Market, private meetings and parties and much more!”