Historic leisure facility saved as community rallies round

An effort from the local community has seen £15,000 raised to pay for urgent roof repair at Notts County Foundation’s Portland Centre.

The affected area houses the amazing Mencap Me Time’s Day Service for adults with learning disabilities. The money raised will be used to carry out the necessary repairs and safeguard the service for local people.

When the appeal was launched two months ago, a spokesperson for Notts County Foundation said: “We have had multiple roof inspections and have been advised that the roof needs a full replacement urgently in order to avoid major structural issues.

“The total cost of the required work is £25,000, £10,000 of which has been pledged by Notts County Foundation. We now need to work with you to raise the remaining £15,000 to help ensure that local people can continue to benefit from this amazing community venue.”

Now, the 110-year-old facility has been saved, thanks to the goodwill of the Foundations’ supporters.

The spokesperson added: “This appeal success is not just great news for our charity, it’s great news for our city.

Community leisure facilities are not just a cheaper alternative to a swanky gym. The real value of these facilities is the fact that they deliberately target a diverse range of communities & use physical activity to help promote community cohesion. Our city needs this now more than ever and we could not be more proud of all those who have stepped up to safeguard it’s future.”