STAFF at a sports centre on Portland are celebrating after picking up a national award.

Nigel Williams, general manager of Osprey Leisure Centre in Castletown, collected a prize on behalf of the centre at the Sporta Awards.

South Dorset Community Sports Ltd, the trust that operates the centre, was presented with the prize for Exceptional Social Enterprise Improvement during a ceremony held at the Pavilion Theatre in Bournemouth.

The award recognises the centre’s achievement in the twin strands of trust development and community involvement. The trust beat other finalists Abbeycroft Leisure from Suffolk and South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture to grab the prize.

Mr Williams said: “It’s great for us that all of the hard work has been recognised nationally.

“A lot of people think highly of the trust locally and we have the community involvement.”

The centre has been able to cut costs dramatically using new energy saving strategies and the savings have been reinvested into incorporating the recommendations of a ‘user panel’, made up of people who use the centre.

The trust has saved 81 per cent in gas and 53 per cent in electricity usage, despite a three-fold increase in footfall. This initiative was recognised in 2014 with a ‘Going Green’ award.

Mr Williams said: “I go to see how other places are run, but now people are asking to come and have a look at our place.

“The satisfaction is that you just think you are doing something normal, but everyone else thinks it is brilliant.”

He added that he was pleased to have been able to “get south Dorset in general on the map”.

He said: “I did not go there to win or expect to win.”

Sporta is a membership association made up of cultural and leisure trusts from across the UK. Osprey Leisure Centre’s victory was part of the first ever Sporta Awards, held to mark the tenth anniversary of the organisation.

The evening was hosted by Garry Richardson, presenter of a number of sports programmes on BBC radio.

All of the awards on the night were judged by a panel of independent experts from the sector.

The award was granted to Osprey Leisure centre based on community involvement and trust development both of which are key aims of the board of directors and training professionals at the centre. The proceeds from the cost savings have been reinvested into the facility such as introducing a café to the reception area and an outside patio area for relaxation and socialising.