A COMMUNITY sports centre based at Tavistock College has significantly changed its opening hours in order to stop money intended for education being used to keep the business afloat.

Tavistock Community Sports Centre opened to the public in 2009 after years of fundraising of almost £4-million thanks to a partnership which included the college, Tavistock Town Council, West Devon Borough Council and Sport England.

When the centre was opened the school was a ‘community college’ and received funding from Devon County Council for its ‘community buildings’ but the money stopped in 2010, said headteacher Sarah Jones.

In recent years, the school had to use money, intended purely for the college’s pupils, to keep the sports centre open — and last week, in order to protect the education of the children in the school, Tavistock College governors made some significant changes to the business.

The centre’s fitness suite was open all year round to members while the other buildings, including the gymnasium, dance hall and sports hall, were available to hire to local sports clubs. But now, memberships and classes run at the centre have been cancelled and any sports clubs wishing to hire the hall can only do so during term time.

Mrs Jones said it was a difficult decision to make but it was ‘not ethical’ to use money for students’ education on a business.

‘The business has to stand alone but it’s drawing money that is for children and I can’t tolerate that at a time when school funding is so limited.’

She added: ‘The facility will become a “lettings only” facility so people who want to run their own yoga or spin class will be able to do so.

‘It doesn’t mean the classes can’t run but they will use their own insurance and take their own money.

‘It is ethically wrong to use money for education to run a sports centre.

‘We were just not breaking even and we were driven by the lack of up take and lack of use at the centre as there was just too much competition from the town and the business could not sustain itself.

‘The centre can only be used during term time otherwise additional staff would be needed out of hours.’

Residents with a membership were emailed by James Carr, Tavistock College Sports Centre lettings manager, last Thursday (July 9), to thank them for their support.

He said: ‘We would like to say thank you to all of you who have supported the sports centre over the past ten years with your constant renewing of membership and friendly faces every evening.’