Vivify, a school’s lettings company, will replace Ipswich Borough Council in the management of the public sports facilities at Northgate. The company has extensive experience of running more than 500 sports facilities across the country. It will manage the bookings system and out of hours service.
Paul West, Cabinet Member for Ipswich at Suffolk County Council, said:
“When Ipswich Borough Council handed back its 25-year commitment to run the facilities, we were left in a challenging position.
“Traditionally we have no knowledge or experience of running sports facilities – this sits at borough level. However, we knew we had a duty to pick up responsibility for the popular venue and ensure its future. Hundreds of people use the site, whether running clubs or for racquet sports, so we accepted that - despite the unilateral decision of the borough council - we could not let the site close.
“I am delighted that we have secured a deal with Vivify. Thanks to the prompt action of officers, Northgate Sports Centre will continue to operate as a significant asset for Ipswich.”
The facilities will be formally handed over on April 1st and will reopen on April 17th following site maintenance and cleaning. The final details of the agreement are currently being worked through.
The new agreement will cost Suffolk County Council in excess of £235,000 until July 2024. During this contract period, Suffolk County Council will continue to review the longer term business case.
Russell Teale, CEO and Co-founder of Vivify, said:
“We’re delighted to be working with Northgate Sports Centre in providing their incredible facilities to the local community of Ipswich.
“Here at Vivify we are committed to making sport and leisure spaces accessible to local teams and groups across the UK, while helping our schools do more. We look forward to working alongside Northgate School and Suffolk County Council on this exciting partnership .”
Rowena Mackie, headteacher at Northgate School, said:
“We are delighted that as a school we can continue to focus on our core purpose of educating our students.
“We always wanted to ensure that community use outside of school hours could be maintained as we recognise the importance of access to the sports facilities to very many in our wider community. We are excited to be in a position to work alongside Vivify and the County Council in this regard.”
