Plas Madoc Leisure Centre in Wrexham praised by Welsh Labour AMs

Supporters have congratulated staff and volunteers at a thriving leisure centre after it was nominated for a national award.

Wrexham Council closed Plas Madoc down in 2014, but a small band of dedicated supporters worked tirelessly to reopen the much-loved facility as a social enterprise.

Now the volunteer-led Splash Community Trust, which runs the centre, has been shortlisted for this year’s Social Business Wales Awards, which take place in Cardiff on September 26.

Local Assembly Member Ken Skates, who helped co-found the group, visited Plas Madoc on Saturday with fellow AM Mark Drakeford to congratulate the team in person.

Mr Skates said: “Plas Madoc is an amazing local success story and I’m incredibly proud of where it is today, with improvements being made all the time and visitor numbers increasing.

“Last year a Welsh Government grant of £500,000 helped fund key structural work including a replacement roof, fixing wiring and insulation, replacing pool plant equipment and upgrading the centre’s CCTV and fire alarm, and now a new conference space and spin studio is being created. The main sports hall has also been given a makeover. Improvements are being made constantly and it’s fantastic to see the centre thriving like we knew it could.”

Mr Skates added: “It’s impossible to describe just how much credit the Splash Community Trust and the staff here deserve. They’ve done an incredible job.”

Splash Community Trust secretary Stella Matthews said the centre now employs more than 40 people and has become a thriving community hub.

Mr Drakeford said: “Ken has told me a lot about Plas Madoc and the amazing turnaround in the past few years. I have wanted to visit for some time and it was wonderful to meet the staff and volunteers and to see the centre so busy and bustling on a Saturday morning.

“I wish the trust the best of luck at the awards and for the future.”