A schoolboy has launched a petition to save a popular gym from closure by Falkirk Council, saying the decision "doesn't make sense". Joel Blackwood, a fourth year pupil at Larbert High School, says he couldn't believe it when he heard that the popular gym in Stenhousemuir is one of 133 council properties under threat.
Last year, the gym had more than 85,000 admissions, substantially higher than the other council-owned gyms in the district. Joel, 15, said: "I know just from being there, there are so many people that use it - especially after school, it's always packed.
"But I was there the other day at 8 am and even then it was packed. I just thought people clearly use this - there's got to be something I can do about it."
Joel started a petition on Change.org, sharing it around friends at school and family at first and it "sort of just took off from there", gathering more than 1000 signatures in less than a week.
"It would be a big loss for me and for many members of the community," he said. "I started going to the gym just before summer and met a lot of nice people there - it's a nice environment, it's very positive. It's good for mental health as well as physical health."
He is in no doubt about how well-used the gym is by fellow pupils at Larbert High School. Joel said: "You can walk in any day after school and for at least an hour it will be completely full - you'll barely be able to get onto a machine. It seems completely odd that they are even thinking about closing it.
"If anything, they should really be looking at making it a bigger gym - it just doesn't make any sense at all. The next closest gym is Camelon and it's not practical or feasible for people to get there every day."
The gym is part of a Falkirk Council's Strategic Property Review, which will see 133 properties - mostly leisure facilities and community centres - being either closed or transferred from council ownership. The council says that many of its properties are ageing, under-used and 'not fit for purpose' and many don't meet the council's climate change targets.
But the critics say that Stenhousemuir Gym does not fit this description, having opened in 2015 with state-of-the-art equipment.
Joel said: "I've been told that it's Falkirk Council's best performing gym by quite a bit, so it doesn't make much sense," he said. "It's in very good shape. In fact, as of right now they are redoing the showers in the men's changing room. What is the point of doing that and then closing it down altogether?"
Joel hopes the petition will get across to Falkirk Council how valued the gym is and at least force the council to justify its decision. In his petition, Joel says he finds it strange that the gym should be targeted ahead of the library which he believes is not used anything like as much - a comparison which has been criticised by some online.
"I'm not trying to suggest we should be closing the library," Joel insisted. "The point I was trying to make is that the library is often deserted and it's a massive building that takes up a lot of council resources."
Falkirk Council said the gym, which is leased until 2025, currently runs at a loss of £40,000 a year. A spokesperson said: “As we have said before, we simply cannot afford to run properties that are not sustainable given the current budget position and focus on buildings that are central to our service delivery."
"The in-person engagement sessions we have organised starting this week will give us an opportunity to see what interest there may be for alternative delivery models which may involve community or private management. It is hoped that a viable alternative will be forthcoming. The gym is under lease until 2025 and in line with our approach, we no longer seek to lease operational properties."
They also defended the decision to protect the library, which will be part of a different review of library services. The spokesperson said: "Libraries provide access to a wide range of council services in addition to traditional library use. Increasingly, these are utilised to support the most vulnerable in our communities for advocacy, support, training and improving social inclusion (through use of PCs).
"Works at the property will continue to be undertaken to ensure it is fit for purpose, statutorily compliant and lease obligations are met."
A series of engagement sessions are being held across the district to try to gauge interest from the community in taking over buildings. The Stenhousemuir meeting is in the library on January 20, noon- 2 pm. An online consultation is also running until January 20.
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