A BELOVED fitness centre has shut after 50 years – leaving visitors devastated.
More than 140 people have lost their jobs after Folkestone Sports Centre in Kent suddenly closed earlier this week.
The centre first opened in 1973 and boasted a 25-metre swimming pool, a gym, a cafe and even ski and toboggan slopes.
It also provided cardiac rehab, stroke rehab, weight management classes and a dementia cafe.
The centre also ran a programme for people who are suffering from mental health illnesses.
Boss Tessa Stickler said the centre had been struggling since the pandemic – but surging bills were the “final nail in the coffin”.
She told the Kent Messenger: “I don’t think people realise how much time we have spent battling to try and stay alive.
“It’s the utility bills that have been the killer. All the staff, including myself, are extremely upset.
“We all have mortgages and bills to pay. It’s just a terrible time for all of us.”
Local MP Tony Vaughan said “there was no warning at all” – vowing to do “everything I can” to open the centre again.
Folkestone & Hythe District Council said the centre had faced “enormous financial pressures” including utility costs.
A spokesperson added: “The council has provided long-standing support to the trust.
“In December 2022 councillors agreed to renew support for the centre with a three-year annual grant of £150,000 to deliver sports and leisure activities for the local community.
“Our thoughts are with the centre staff who face uncertainty over their jobs.
“Council staff will be offering welfare advice and signposting to relevant sources of help for those who need support.
“The closure is also hugely disappointing for residents who are losing their local facilities at the beginning of the school summer holiday.
“The council will be working with the administrator and with the landowner, the Radnor Estate, as they decide the next steps to be taken.”
