Folkestone Sports Centre to re-open following deal with The Sports Trust

Folkestone Sports Centre has been acquired by The Sports Trust, a local charity with a focus on sport and social improvement. The sale process was supported by Opus Restructuring, Christie & Co and Brachers.

Spanning just over 11 acres, Folkestone Sports Centre originally formed part of the Radnor Estate and is understood to have been gifted by Lord Radnor in the 1960s, with the main centre being developed in the late 1960s and being formally opened by Princess Anne in 1972. At that time, it was the only sports facility serving Folkestone.

Indoor facilities include two swimming pools, a health and fitness suite, a sports hall, three squash courts, spin and aerobics studios, a health and beauty facility and café/bar. Outside, there are three tennis courts, an archery area, a ‘dry’ ski slope, a nine hole footgolf course and a SkyWalk high ropes course.

In July 2024, the news broke that the Folkestone Sports Centre no longer had the funds to remain operational. In August, the centre was closed and placed into administration, with Opus brought in as administrators.

Saved out of administration

Adrian Dante and Charles Turner, administrators from Opus Restructuring, spent the past months working on potential future scenario’s, including an independent restart and a sale to another owner. The administrators also engaged specialist leisure property adviser Christie & Co to market the centre to potential buyers, and law firm Brachers to deal with the legal side of the centre’s future.

After reports emerged at the start of the year that a buyer was found for the site, the administrators this week confirmed that the sale process has been closed successfully. The sale was completed on 21 May.

“We are delighted to have been able to find an outcome, which satisfies the strong wish of the community in and around Folkestone that the centre should be preserved as a multi-faceted recreation facility available to the general public and to the many organisations which have previously used it.,” said Dante.

The new owner, The Sports Trust, is a local charity whose mission is to dismantle barriers to sports participation and celebrate sport as a powerful tool for social improvement. The charity works with schools, sports clubs and the local community and uses exercise to help create a healthy and united society. It was founded in 2013.

The purchase has been funded by the Roger De Haan Charitable Trust, which was established in 1978 to support charities and community groups in and around the Folkestone area. A particular focus is on providing support to sport and recreation projects.

“As we anticipated from the outset, interest in the centre came from a wide variety of potential purchasers. However, such was the importance of Folkestone Sports Centre to the local community, we were pleased to see that the majority of interest in the centre came from the charitable health and leisure club sector with a mutual goal of re-opening the business,” said Jon Patrick, Head of Leisure and Development at Christie & Co.

In the coming months, The Sports Trust will assess the state of the Folkestone Sports Centre, and then work on re-opening the centre for the community. “Facilitating the swift return of this vital space to the community is our top priority, we are committed to ensuring that Folkestone Sports Centre continues to thrive as a hub for sports, supporting local clubs and activities at the heart of our community,” noted Dan Hulme, CEO of Sports Trust.