A COMMUNITY sports centre in Dorchester is closing to the public after struggling to meet a “funding gap.”

St Osmund’s Community Sports Centre has announced that public use of the facilities will end on January 31, 2019.

The centre, which is attached to St Osmund’s Middle School, offers public use of the sports hall and outdoor facilities as well as annual, monthly and pay-as-you-go gym memberships.

However, a notice has been put up in the centre’s reception which reads: “In the face of strong competition over the last few years, we have been attempting to meet a funding gap without any real success despite valiant efforts by staff and directors of the charity.”

It explains that advertising through various means has had “little effect” and an application for funding was also turned down by West Dorset District Council.

The notice further says: “The directors of the charity have decided...that in view of the fact that there will be insufficient funds to operate after the end of January 2019, the charity will be closed down.

“Thank you for your continued support.”

It is not known whether the school will opt to offer facilities to the public when the charity stops running the centre.

Paul Scott, one of the sports centre’s directors, said: “We are incredibly grateful to the school and the governors for making the facilities available outside of school hours. We are very disappointed that because our expenditure has been exceeding our income for some time we are no longer viable and have had to stop the charity.

“We are hoping that the school might be able to come up with an alternative business plan.

“Perhaps, out of the ashes of the closure of this sports charity, a sporting phoenix might rise to offer what we no longer can.

“We have stayed there for this length of time because we believe that everyone should have access to sports facilities. How else can they keep fit?

“I have got great faith that someone else can pick up the baton and run with it.”

Dorchester town and district councillor Stella Jones said: “It’s such a great shame. I’m hoping something can be done to keep at least some of the activities there.”

The Echo has attempted to contact the St Osmund’s Middle School for a comment.