New purpose-built community facility set to open this summer

Released On 12th Feb 2021

Yeovil Recreation Centre is set to welcome new facilities this summer when a community studio space and café will open within the existing pavilion building.

Despite the current Coronavirus lockdown, internal work to the pavilion building which is located next to the main entrance and car park will commence in mid-February.

Thanks to a range of support from funders locally and nationally, work has been progressing behind the scenes to ensure that the facility will be ready to open this coming summer.

Back at the beginning of 2020, we consulted with the public and asked what you would like to see at the Yeovil Recreation Centre pavilion and how you would like to see it operated. As a result of that feedback, an accessible indoor space will be created which can also support clubs, individuals and families that want to use and enjoy the superb outdoor facilities at the site. By making internal modifications to the existing large pavilion building the community will have a new high quality café and outside seating space, plus a multi-functional studio space that can host anything from meetings to yoga, pre-school children’s activities to a young person’s club.

With both our physical and mental health continuing to be of such importance, by adding to the facilities and activities, the Yeovil Rec team hope more people will be able to visit to get involved with sessions and be able to spend longer outside and active in the greenspace.

Councillor Mike Best, South Somerset District Council’s portfolio holder for Health and Wellbeing, said: “We progressed this project knowing what a difference these extra facilities will make to our communities, what we never envisaged was bringing them online as part of our Covid recovery work. They will be even more important than originally anticipated and we hope enable people to return to sport or engage with activity for the first time, in a safe and supported way. Our thanks to all our funders who have enabled this to happen”.

This project has been able to get to the build stage thanks to funding support granted from Sport England, Viridor Credits Environmental Company, Yeovil Town Council, Brympton Parish Council, Yeovil Without Parish Council, West Coker Parish Council and Yeovil and Sherborne Hockey Club.

Yeovil Recreation Centre offers a wide range of outdoor facilities on site, including an eight lane athletics arena, Artificial Grass Pitch for hockey and football, acres of green space for play including football, a newly refurbished play area for children, a multi-use games area, pitch and putt golf course, crazy golf course, table tennis and tennis courts. The new community facility will help to bring people together and be an area for everyone to enjoy.

Ashley Smalley, Activities Officer at Yeovil Recreation Centre, said: “I am really looking forward to arranging public events and classes in the new space. I enjoyed hearing from residents and site users about what type of activities they would like to see available in the survey we conducted last year.”

Over the coming months, developments and opening plans of the new community facility will be posted through the Yeovil Recreation Centre Facebook page and website. Look out for the launch of the new Recreation Centre website in the summer as we look to open the facilities to the public.