About

Our Story

Then: The building used to be called Southwater Leisure Centre and was run by Southwater Parish Council. As a business, it had ongoing financial trouble and became unviable for the council to run. It was decided to turn it over to a 3rd party to manage.

Now: The building and grounds are now all called 'The Ghyll' and since 2020 this has been operated by a charity called Southwater Ghyll CIO. The charity Trustees are all unpaid volunteers and are all local residents.

How it works: Rather than having one leisure centre with a wide range of facilities and a single membership, the building and grounds have been licenced out to separate clubs and businesses, all with a community interest. Currently, these are Southwater Royals FC, Southwater Bowls Club, Infinity Gymnastics, The Performance Zone, LB Beauty & Massage and (coming soon) Café at The Ghyll.

There are, also, facilities that can be hired out for your own events. These are the Lardner Hall, Multi-use Games Area (MUGA), Laurie Apted Building and a Meeting Room.

Our Vision: To develop and manage The Ghyll and Laurie Apted facilities as sustainable resources for leisure, social and community use that meet the immediate and future needs of Southwater residents, promote participation, community and well-being for all.

Quick Q&A: just the answers;
-  No, it's not run by the council. The Ghyll is now run by a charity, Southwater Ghyll Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO).
-  The CIO is run by volunteer Trustees from the community, and one part time employee.
-  Our main income comes from hire fees and the rent from our Licensees.
-  Yes, we are commercial, we operate as a small business where every penny counts. We don't have deep pockets.
-  The Parish Council own the freehold but it operates with strict covenants that restrict its use.
-  Yes, you can become a Trustee. Please email us to find out more.
-  The ghyll is another name for the stream that runs through the grounds.
-  Our logo includes the map outline of the ghyll - not a twig!
-  No, we'd not heard of a 'ghyll' before either.
-  Yes, the table tennis table is level!

A few need to knows

Permissive pathways

The Ghyll is private property. However, there are many pathways across The Ghyll land. Although this is private property, there is no objection to the use of the pathways. These are called 'permissive pathways' and are to be used at your own risk. There is plenty of lighting and signage to make this clear. We will, of course, continue to make sure that these remain clean and clear for you to use.

Overflow car park

There are covenants on all of the land which restrict its use. We have explored opening up the car park for business, resident and commercial parking but we have been told (by lawyers) that we would breach the covenants if we did. It remains in use, as intended, as an overflow car park when the main park park is full. We will, however, keep trying to find ways to make this more of a community asset than it currently is. We are frustrated too.