THE future of Hyndburn’s main leisure centre has been secured after a £130,000 refurbishment project was announced.

Hyndburn Leisure Centre in Church has suffered from a lack of investment, with bosses admitting it has had little improvement work since opening in the 1970s.

Last year bosses at the Leisure in Hyndburn Trust, which runs the facility, were two funding blows.

They missed out on grants from Sport England, the first of which was £450,000. On that occasion they had gone through several rounds of bidding, only for the fund to be scrapped.

Now the investment, from Hyndburn Council’s ‘transitional grant allocation’, will be used to improve facilities, including the changing rooms.

There will also be some work on the swimming pool.

Council leader Peter Britcliffe said: “Across the country there are councils that are closing leisure centres. But we know that in an area like Hyndburn, with the health problems that there are, civic leisure centres are vital.

“This money secures the future of the site. It needs to be able to compete with private venues. There has been very little investment for decades and this grant will make a big difference.

“We are saying to the many users of the leisure centre that it has a future.”

Hyndburn Council has also handed over £25,000 for a kitchen garden project in Rhyddings Park, Oswaldtwistle. At present 165 people are on allotment waiting lists in Oswaldtwistle and the Rhyddings Park facility would allow inexperienced allotment enthusiasts the chance to gain experience.