Belper Leisure Centre has replaced its members and Trustees with appointments from Trilogy Active Limited, a not-for-profit charitable organisation based in Northamptonshire, in a transaction led by business recovery and insolvency experts at PKF Smith Cooper.
The charity-run Belper Leisure Centre has been an invaluable cornerstone of the local community for nearly 50 years, providing vital leisure and recreational facilities to over 1,500 members, 40 active clubs and several local primary schools.
Like many sports centres across the UK, Belper Leisure Centre’s survival was put at risk as a result of mounting pressures from soaring energy costs, with its annual utility bill rising from £112,000 in 2021/2022 to £480,000 for 2023/2024.
The pivotal deal was led by PKF Smith Cooper’s Derby Insolvency Partner Dean Nelson who has overseen Belper Leisure Centre’s operations throughout the business’s recovery and also advertised the facility for sale as part of a merger and acquisition process.
As part of the transaction, Amber Valley Borough Council agreed short-term funding of £150,000 to assist Trilogy Active with the ongoing costs. Belper School will also continue to offer support in terms of deferring accrued utility payments.
Trilogy Active is a not-for-profit charitable organisation that operates a number of leisure and wellbeing facilities in the UK. After carrying out a stringent due diligence process, Trilogy intends to implement its detailed business plan for Belper Leisure Centre, designed to make the venue sustainable and implement energy-saving initiatives to improve current facilities.
Dean Nelson, Derby Insolvency and Business Recovery Partner, PKF Smith Cooper, said: “We’re delighted to have helped secure the future of the Leisure Centre – Trilogy Active are a credible organisation, and I’ve no doubt that the Leisure Centre will flourish under their ownership and continue to provide vital services for the community, users and clubs that rely on its facilities as well as secure jobs.”
