History
West Chanctonbury Recreation Association (WCRA)
A Brief History and a Glance into the Future.
WCRA was incorporated as a charitable company limited by guarantee on 20th February, 1989. Its purpose was to provide for, and encourage, the pursuit of physical activity by the residents of the 11 (now 10) West Chanctonbury parishes, who at that time numbered some 22,000. The principal means of achieving this was by the building of a leisure centre.
This was, of course, a substantial undertaking and was made possible by the coming together of a group of public spirited residents, Storrington Parish Council which leased the land and Horsham District Council which provided the bulk of the finance.
Their efforts finally bore fruit when, on 1st December, 1989, the Chanctonbury Leisure Centre (now Chanctonbury Sports and Leisure) was formally opened by Colin (now Lord) Moynihan, the then Minister for Sport.
The organisation was and is controlled by a Board of Trustees (who are all volunteers), the day to day management being delegated to a professional staff. However, in those early days, even some of the daily activities were in the hands of volunteers – including the Trustees themselves. It is notable too, that the early managers, whilst having some experience of organising fitness activities (for example in the army) were not specialists in the field.
It was soon found that this, even this, low expenditure model of operating was having difficulty in meeting running costs. Accordingly, in1995 a wide-ranging reorganisation took place, greatly expanding the fitness suite and introducing managers experienced in the leisure field. The result was highly successful as the turnover figures for those years witness:-
1994: £99,000 1995: £137,000 1996: £192,000
It also put in place the basic organisation which operates today.
So successful were the changes that by 1997 it became clear that demand was going to outstrip our accommodation. Planning for expansion began!
The year 2001 saw the launch of a sports development strategy for young people which, for the first time extended our operations beyond the leisure centre and its’ immediate environs. Activities began to be provided in local schools, both in the form of curriculum time, after school clubs and the organisation of sports days. Multi-school tournaments and activity afternoons, at the Centre followed. Our many contacts enabled us to put in place pathways for the development of excellence.
The following year the Activity for Health programme began. This provides remedial exercising, for example, heart attack and stroke patients. Referrals are received from local GPs, hospital rehabilitation units and others. At the time of writing, more than 700 patients have been treated, which makes WCRA the biggest provider of such services in the district.
Meanwhile, the expansion plans referred to above had continued and the new buildings were formally inaugurated on 20th March, 2004 by Sally Gunnell OBE. It is thanks to the funds made available by Sport England, Horsham District Council and local donors, that this new build provided our members with a new hall, a remodelled entrance, a new larger café and an external Multi Use Games Area. But even as the project was planned it was realised that, eventually, a further extension would be needed. Accordingly, the piling work anticipated the building of a mezzanine floor above the newly enlarged entrance area.
2008 saw a rebranding of the Centre with a new name - Chanctonbury Sports and Leisure. Along with this came an upgrading of the fitness suite, new signage, revamped literature and a new look website!
Now the envisaged further expansion is being actively reviewed. The aim is the further extension of the fitness suite, the creation of a new crèche, a treatment room and a staff rest room. So nearly 20 years after its incorporation, WCRA continues to develop.
Donald Elkin - Company Secretary July 2008.