Could the future of Redlands be in community hands?
Campaigners are looking into the possibility of bringing the sports hub into community ownership.
A campaign to save Redlands Community Sports Hub for the future is looking into the possibility of community ownership.
The hub has been used by generations of locals, many of whom have memories as far back as the 70s.
Weymouth College is backing out of its lease of the premises with Dorset Council. It says the building has fallen into disrepair and is no longer economic to run.
So far no other organisation has come forward to take on the lease, although Active Dorset has said it will run activities outdoors.
Over 3,000 people have signed a petition to keep the hub open until its future can be determined.
Peter Barrow helped set up the campaign. He told Greatest Hits Radio the hub has to stay.
"My first involvement in Redlands was when I used to go and watch my parents play hockey up there in 1970.
"I started playing Rugby up there in '76 and I've used it ever since on and off for various sporting activities.
"My children have been up there, and now my grandchildren go up there. I'm no different to lots of other people in Weymouth. There are thousands of people out there for who the reason they do sport is tied to Redlands."
He and other group leaders say they're looking into ways to keep the building open for future generations. One option may be buying it as a community interest company (CIC), much like Weymouth Pavilion.
A survey is being carried out to clarify the extent of repairs needed indoors.
The group says it doesn't want to get in the way of any deals made between Active Dorset and the Council.
One of the campaigners, Rosemarie Burrows plays badminton at the centre regularly. She said:
"I'm absolutely devastated. We knew that something was coming, and we knew there were problems but we were devastated when we realised the option was they would actually close the building.
"I play with this one group on a Tuesday, and another on a Friday morning and for both groups there's nowhere locally. The nearest for us would be Osprey on Portland."
Peter added:
"The idea of having 65,000 people roughly... it's inconceivable having an area of that size, with that many people in it, with no proper indoor leisure facilities."
You can find out more about the campaign to save Redlands here.