Local people and visitors will soon be able to make a splash at The Quay Zone in Girvan after South Ayrshire Council formally approved the Minute of Agreement handing over the operation of the new centre to South Carrick Community Leisure (SCCL).
SCCL will take over responsibility for the new £5.4 million leisure and community centre in the next few weeks, following the completion of the construction phase of the project.
The Quay Zone will transform leisure and community facilities across Girvan and South Carrick, with a 25 metre swimming pool, soft play area, superb fitness gym, flexible multi-purpose studio/community space, changing facilities and café.
Once the keys are handed over to SCCL, work will get underway to complete the internal equipment fit-out, staff recruitment and training before The Quay Zone's doors open to the public during the week commencing Monday 24 April.
Councillor Bill McIntosh, Leader of South Ayrshire Council, said: "The fact that we're just a few weeks away from The Quay Zone opening its doors is a truly momentous occasion for the people of Girvan and South Carrick and credit to the powerful and effective partnership working between the Council and the community over the last seven years.
"It has taken a huge amount of time and effort to get us here, but – as we stand on the verge of such an historic moment – I'm sure we can all agree that it's been worth it.
"Local people and families will soon be swimming, working out, playing and relaxing in a bright, modern leisure centre that will be run by the community for the community and will provide the ideal place for people to come together.
"It's fantastic to see the finished result of the bold and innovative partnership between the Council and SCCL and I'm very proud that we have made this happen. I wish SCCL the very best of luck as it gets ready to open for business and I hope the community support continues going forward to ensure The Quay Zone is the great success we all want it to be."
Ken Johnstone, Chair of SCCL, added: "Today shows just what can be achieved when a community stands up for what it believes in and puts in the necessary work to make a difference. My thanks go to everyone who has played their part over the past seven years – the campaigners, the fundraisers, the volunteers, our board members – past and present, our funding partners and, of course, the Council.
"We're very excited about taking on our new role as the operators of The Quay Zone and are gearing up to get everything moving once we get the keys. From then, we will be able to get everything in place to open to the public next month.
"We will soon be launching the sale of our membership packages, which start at just £20 per month for a 'swim only' ticket and go up to £38 per month for our ultimate package offering gym, swim and classes. And we need people to sign up to these and really invest in securing a positive future for The Quay Zone.
"We've come this far together and I know we can really make this work, so make sure you get on board and help us put Girvan, South Carrick and The Quay Zone well and truly on the map."
Information on The Quay Zone and its membership packages is available from the dedicated information point in the Town House, Girvan between 1pm and 4pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Most of the funding for the multi-million pound Quay Zone has been provided by South Ayrshire Council, with additional funding from sportscotland and the Scottish Government Regeneration Capital Grant Fund.
SCCL also secured external funding from Carrick Futures, Hadyard Hill Community Benefit Fund, Scottish Power Renewables Kilgallioch Wind Farm, the William Grant Foundation and the Ayrshire LEADER Local Action Group.