Leisure Centre and the Community

From interviewing Shaun Miles, the manager of Aylestone leisure centre, it became apparent that the leisure centre was not only a medium to entertain the public, but also used as a deterrent from crime. The local crime statistics does portray a significant decrease in reported crimes from 2004-05 to present, with 43217 crimes reported in 2004-05, to 40242 in 2005-06, to 40547 in 2006-07 (a slight increase) . This could possibly reflect the leisure centre’s ethos of being a crime deterrent, and it has been said that sport is the moral equivalent of war , yet with the number of crimes still being reported, despite the drop in figures, I do wonder just how much of a deterrent a leisure centre can be.

Another ethos of Aylestone leisure centre is to harden the sense of community within its area, which has a strong connection to bringing crime down within the area. This sense of strengthening the community can even be seen in the early years, from the educational authorities in Coventry in 1969, ‘We have too strong sense of the need of community in Coventry for development of a sense of community’ . This profound statement was a powerful tool in allowing the state to develop the community in Coventry via leisure, with different social classes carrying out the same activities, in a nutshell, bringing classes and the whole community closer together .

All funding for Aylestone leisure centre comes directly from the local authorities, to aid the upkeep of the centre and to maintain affordable activities. However, there are grants which can be won from sporting bodies such as Sport England. Braunstone leisure centre is a key example of how Sport England has helped the community, donating £2million to the project, which opened in December 2004. Graeme Beaumont of Sport England East Midlands commentated on this feat, ‘This project is much more than a £10 million leisure centre. It is an integral part of a well co-ordinated regeneration strategy for one of the most disadvantaged communities in the East Midlands.’ As well as helping Braunstone leisure centre, it also has £18.5 million to distribute in the east midlands until April 2009. With this money it aims to significantly increase participation in the area.

It is clear that leisure is important for the community, which is why unions have fought through the modern age to cut down working hours and other such rights. With more time away from work, the masses will have to occupy themselves somehow, and I feel that the leisure centres in Leicester offer such worth. Leisure theorist state that leisure is a major part of our lives, and throughout time, sport has been a part of our lives, i.e. Greek Olympics. This is why I believe that leisure centres will always be a part of our society, no matter how advanced we become as a civilization, and ultimately serve a role in preserving a sense of righteousness within the community.