Nearly 1,000 residents have helped to choose a new name for Millom’s new flagship sports and leisure facility.
The building, currently under construction on Salthouse Road, will officially be called Millom Leisure Centre following a community vote.
The process saw 931 people across Millom take part, with 809 paper ballots cast by residents at designated voting locations throughout the town in addition to 122 votes submitted via an online form.
Every school pupil in Millom was also given the opportunity to participate, ensuring that the voices of the town’s youngest residents were heard.
David Savage, Chair of the Millom Town Deal Board, said:
“We’re delighted by the response from residents in Millom and Haverigg and especially encouraged by the involvement of pupils across our local schools.
“This strong turnout shows how much the community values the new facility and wants to help shape its future. Millom Leisure Centre will be a vibrant hub for sport, health and wellbeing, and its name has been decided by the community as the best fit to this vision.
Millom Leisure Centre emerged as the clear winner among three options having received 416 votes reflecting the community’s preference for a name that embodies both the town’s spirit and the facility’s purpose.
In second place was Millom Sports Village with 305 votes followed by The Salthouse Centre with 211.
The facility forms part of Activating Community Health, one of four major projects making up the ambitious Millom Town Deal, backed by £20.6 million in Government funding and £8.7 million in match funding.
Additional financial support has come from the Copeland Community Fund, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, South Copeland GDF Community Partnership, CGP, Millom School, and Millom Town Council.
Millom Leisure Centre is located on Salthouse Road and will feature modern amenities such as a swimming pool, multi-purpose sports hall, fitness studio and a 3G all-weather pitch.
It is being delivered in partnership with Cumberland Council and is designed to serve as a vibrant hub for health, wellbeing and community activity.
Leader of Cumberland Council, Cllr Mark Fryer, said:
“Work at the new Millom Leisure Centre is continuing to move forward at pace, with some significant milestones now reached across the site. The works to improve the site will be completed by autumn.”
Externally, the building is taking shape, with wall cladding close to completion and roofing works in their final stages, alongside improvements to pedestrian access at the front of the site with new kerbs installed.
Internally, the swimming pool has successfully completed testing and passed inspection, while work continues to advance in the pool, plant areas, changing rooms and sports hall.
At the existing sports hall, stripping out works is now complete, and alterations are underway as preparations begin for the next phase of development.
With the new name now in place, the complex is poised to welcome residents of all ages when its doors open by the end of this year.
New operator Everyone Active is already working to put in place a bespoke programme of activities for the community that will complement the existing sports and leisure offer in the area.
Photo credit: Stuart Walker