Determined residents are fighting to save one of Kilburn’s last remaining community facilities

Campaigners battling to save a popular sports centre from closure have handed over their rescue plan to Brent Council.

Determined residents have been in crunch talk with council chiefs to keep the doors open at the Charteris Sport’s Centre in Charteris Road, Kilburn, which had its entire �150,000 annual funding axed last month.

Simon Rogers, chairman of the Brent Eleven Streets Residents Association, said: “we have had some really great support and some consultants involved who have helped us produce a really compelling business plan.

“We are hoping that the council keep an open mind and give us some support because this is a unique opportunity for the council and for us.”

If the campaign is successful, the centre would be taken over by a charitable trust run by the community and staffed by a mixture of employees and volunteers.

Money raised through fundraising and fitness classes will be ploughed back into the project or used to pay the council rent.

The centre is due to close on April 1, but campaigners are confident they can reopen it within a couple of months.