SUPPORTERS of Blandford Leisure Centre are claiming victory in the battle to secure its long-term future.

Cabinet bosses at North Dorset District Council have appointed the trust arm of leisure firm Sport and Leisure Management (SLM) to run the centre under its “Everyone Active” brand.

The firm will be paid £128,858 per year to run the Milldown Road facility, which will be met by funders including county, district, and town and parish councils.

Steve Hitchings, the chairman of the Blandford Leisure Centre Action Group, said he was deli-ghted by the appointment.

“Everyone has worked so hard to secure the leisure centre for the benefit of Blandford and the surrounding area,” he said.

The future of the centre was threatened by the withdrawal of a £250,000 annual subsidy from cash-strapped North Dorset District Council last April. Several funding bodies have since offered financial support.

The new deal has reduced NDDC’s subsidy to just under £200,000. The council hopes appointing a charitable trust will save up to £70,000 per year in business rates. The centre costs about £300,000 a year to run.

A “break deal” clause has been included in the contract, freeing SLM if public subsidy ends. NDDC will be liable for £125,000 of redundancy payments if the 10-year contract ends early.

Mr Hitchings said: “Even though the immediate future is secure we must look to the long term and impress upon people that there is still a need to provide funding from the local community.” NDDC will make a one-off payment of £97,000 to reduce SLM’s costs in the first year of operation. They will also meet a £36,000-funding shortfall next year.

Supporters have invested heavily in the centre in recent years to make it attractive to potential operators.

NDDC spent £120,000 to replace the roof in 2007 and £50,000 on a raft of improvements last year. It will invest £16,000 this year to make the plant room safer.

Some £325,000 will be invested to convert the squash courts into a gym, with £47,000 from charities controlled by Blandford Town Council and £10,000 from the Friends of Blandford Community Hospital.

SLM is expected to start running the centre on January 4, 2011, pending final contract negotiations.