Bank loan saves St Helens sports centre
SOME 19 jobs have been saved at a sports facility in St Helens after a consortium of local businesspeople completed a buy-out with backing from Lloyds TSB Commercial.
The Ruskin Drive sportsground had previously been owned by Pilkington but its Japanese parent NSG Group decided to sell it to Ruskinvest – a business set up by Stephen Palfrey, Paul Rees, Stuart Craig and Simon Holling to buy the site.
It had previously agreed to buy the site, which includes a gym, a 20m pool and sauna and a 200-seat function room and bar, only for its previous bank to pull out of the deal, threatening the future of the site. Lloyds TSB Commercial then provided replacement funding.
The purchase did not include the sports pitches surrounding the venue, which will be maintained by St Helens Council.
Ruskinvest is planning to covert the gym into a facility for private members, but open the rest of the facilities to the general public.
Mr Palfrey said: “When we heard about a possible purchase, a group of us, all local businessmen, came together and decided to do something. It was a really simple idea – local people buying a valued facility for the area.
“When our previous lender withdrew its support we approached Lloyds TSB Commercial, who have supported us 100 per cent ever since. The backing enabled us to secure the site as well as making improvements to make it competitive with other commercial facilities in the surrounding area.”
David Brigden, relationship director for Lloyds TSB Commercial, said: “Ruskin Drive is a well-known and popular sports facility, and it’s rewarding to see its future secured for the local community.”
