This is the campaign website to save Victoria Leisure Centre in Nottingham from closure.

We are holding a series of public events over the course of summer 2008, to keep the campaign in the public eye. The first of these, the FREE FUN DAY, will take place on Saturday 31 May and will offer local residents the opportunity to visit Victoria Leisure Centre try out the facilities totally FREE OF CHARGE as well as share ideas about what you’d like to see in your newly refurbished Leisure Centre.

The Save Victoria Baths campaign began on Friday 8 February 2008, following Nottingham City Council's announcement of their proposal to close the much-loved, 150 year old city centre leisure facility. On Tuesday 19 February the Council's Executive Board voted for the closure of the Leisure Centre in principle. Following this vote, they allowed for a month long period of consultation with local residents and Leisure Centre users before making their final decision. During this period they received an overwhelming response in opposition to their proposal including over 1300 emails, letters and feedback forms, a petition hand-signed by nearly 4000 and an online petition signed by 1429.

Then on Tuesday 18 March Nottingham City Council’s Executive Board met again to make their final decision on the future of Victoria Leisure Centre. This meeting saw two major successes for the campaign to Save Victoria Baths:

First and foremost, they announced that the Leisure Centre will not be closing at Easter as was originally proposed. The Council then granted a further nine months (until Christmas 2008) for consultations and for proposals to be drawn up for replacement facilities. In addition, Nottingham City Council have pledged £5-7 million to invest in these replacement facilities in the east of the city. During the discussion they always used the word ‘replacement’, but we were assured by Jon Collins, Leader of the Council, that this did not rule out the possibility of redeveloping the 'existing site' and therefore investing this money in refurbishment, rather than replacement.

They have also agreed to work closely alongside the Area Committee, the campaign group and local people to decide how this money will be spent. The campaign will certainly be pushing for the redevelopment of the existing facilities, rather than a purpose built centre on a site further from the city centre.

Over the next nine months the campaign to Save Victoria Baths will be pushing Nottingham City Council to:

- Use the existing site for the new ‘replacement’ facilities
- Preserve the important historical elements of this site and respectfully incorporate these into the new facilities
- Provide a minimal gap in leisure provision for the east of the city while the new facilities are built
- Consult and work alongside the campaign group, local people, leisure centre employees and other local organisations to ensure that this money is invested in the most appropriate way
- Ensure that this investment provides a high quality, long-term and sustainable solution for leisure facilities on the east of the city with the potential to service the area for another 100 years to come

Nottingham City Council's statement 18 March 2008 >



Victoria Leisure Centre, Gedling Street, Nottingham on 11 February 2008



The Gala Pool (33 metres) on 13 February 2008



Sports Hall on 13 February 2008


Turkish Baths on 13 February 2008


Gym on 13 February 2008


Weights Room on 13 February 2008

The images above were taken in order to show how well kept and extensive the facilities at Victoria Leisure Centre are. This seemed particularly urgent given the deliberate misrepresentation portrayed in the two photos the Council published online and in print to accompany its proposal to close Victoria Leisure Centre.

The Council only published two images. The first is a close up on an area of the floor alongside the pool, in an attempt to show that the whole place is 'run down'. The second image is of two showers which have not been in public use for years. This room, which had been used for storage, was cleared out specially to take the photo. It is a totally inaccurate representation of the showers customers actually use, which were installed brand new just a few years ago.

Our photos were deliberately taken without many customers in to avoid image release issues. During opening hours, these facilities are always brimming with activity!

Nottingham City Council press release about the closure 8 February 2008 >
Nottingham City Council Q & A about the closure 8 February 2008 >