Two West Cumbrian social centres have been given to a community group by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
The Falcon Club, at Egremont, and the Windscale Club, at Seascale, were owned by NDA Properties Ltd, a subsidiary of the authority.
Run by Sellafield Area Sports and Recreational Association (SASRA), which has rented the properties since 1948, the clubs were handed over from the NDA to SASRA as a goodwill gesture.
The legal process of transferring the ownership of the properties has been completed.
NDA chief executive David Peattie said: “We’re delighted the Treasury approved our proposal and we’ve now been able to hand over these important centres for the benefit of the community.
“The NDA has a responsibility to the local communities and stakeholders around our sites as we deliver our mission. In our work we take account of the needs of both current and future generations, and ensure value is delivered for the taxpayer.
“Supporting the local communities where we work is very important for the NDA, collaborating with others to ensure our funding has a significant benefit for local people.
“I’m grateful for the support of Trudy Harrison MP in helping us get to this position, and I can think of no better use for these properties than the continuation of the great community work that SASRA does.”
SASRA provides sporting, social and recreational facilities for the community and has strong local links, with over 7,500 members from across West Cumbria.
Geoff Turrell, SASRA chairman added: “The four-year negotiation period has been time well spent.
“The transfer will now enable SASRA to meet their main objectives of improving the health and wellbeing of the communities at both complexes through the provision of fitness facilities, and provide more options to reduce inactivity and increase physical fitness. It will also allow further development of the complexes for social activities as community hubs.”
The move to transfer the facilities into SASRA ownership involved talks with Government, Copeland Borough Council, Copeland MP Trudy Harrison, SASRA and other local stakeholders.
Copeland MP Mrs Harrison said: “It’s fantastic to see two local facilities handed over to a community which places such value on them.
“The Falcon Club and the Windscale Club have played a key role for many local people in West Cumbria for a long time and have seen generations of people use the facilities.”
Copeland mayor Mike Starkie said: “Having made an initial approach to the NDA to work with myself and SASRA on this project, I am delighted that the NDA have come through with this commitment.
“Both facilities provide fantastic amenity and recreation in Seascale and Egremont and their surrounding communities, and I know they are very well run and are highly valued by the users.
“Facilities like Windscale Club and the Falcon Club are especially important as we emerge from the COVID crisis and, when restrictions allow, for people to be able to socialise, take part in activities and to improve their wellbeing. I know this gesture from the NDA will be extremely well received.”
The NDA is charged with ensuring that the UK’s 17 oldest nuclear sites are decommissioned and cleaned up and also has a responsibility to help build sustainable communities around the sites where it operates.
