Police are appealing for information after Ruddington’s former “Body Centre” was broken in to and vandalised over the weekend.
The damage was reported by Ryan Charlesworth who ran the building with his wife Rachel as a fitness club and community centre for over two years until they ran into financial difficulties last December.
Ryan says: “Heart breaking enough to put so much effort into the place to then lose it. To see what some vandals had done inside was disgusting. They have pulled down half the ceiling, thrown paint everywhere, stolen youth club equipment and and even decided to defecate on the floor! It’s a sad world we live in…”
Previously the premises, which are still owned by Nottinghamshire County Council, had been Ruddington’s dedicated Youth and Community Centre but were leased out to fitness firm Project Body UK in 2014 (for a planned ten year period) due to government spending cuts. Last summer the promised youth provision was reintroduced for three days per week – and several community organisations and groups were again using the facilities on a weekly basis. But, since the company’s closure, the building has lain dark and disused all this year.
Ryan adds: “The building is empty with no power – so no alarms or cctv. It just needs the County Council to make a quick decision on who will take it over. Once someone is in it there won’t be an issue. Just a shame as we left it in decent nick and now it’s trashed – so it may take some work to sort it out. We had no issues while we were in it, so I think it’s just the fact it’s empty.”
Last month Ruddington Parish Council put in a request with Rushcliffe Borough Council to register the Centre as an Asset of Community Value. Meanwhile, after the County Council asked for expressions of interest, it’s known that one group within the village is very keen to reopen it as a sustainable, community hub for all the people of Ruddington – including the previous youth provision. However this act of seemingly mindless vandalism will not have helped those plans.
It appears the break-in and damage coincided with RuddFest – happening nearby on The Green over the weekend – but it’s not yet known if there is any connection between the two. It’s also been revealed that, on Friday night, Amanda Findlay Opticians on Charles Street was broken into – when burglars smashed through a front window.
You’re asked to report anything suspicious you may have seen in Ruddington village centre over the weekend, or any information about those who might be responsible for either of these incidents, to Nottinghamshire Police by ‘phoning 101 as soon as possible.
