Over-50s in East Belfast say council plans to close Avoniel Leisure Centre this year will “destroy the heart of the community”.
Almost 29,000 people use the swimming and sport facilities on the site each month, making it the second busiest public leisure facility in Belfast.
But locals are “angry” about plans to close it before work on nearby Templemore Baths is finished, leaving them with nowhere convenient to swim and socialise.
Sharon Mills Hunter, 53, has called on Belfast City Council to keep the centre going until Templemore opens, when “this community of people will be happy to move over together”.
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“Why destroy the heart of the community?” she asked.
“We need our swimming, our badminton, our table tennis and our over 50s club (or) we will lose the companionship we have here.
“We have worked all our days and paid our taxes. We want this centre kept open for at least two years.”
Joan McCartney, 74, added: “I am practically housebound now. Coming here three times a week is what keeps me going.
“I suffer from depression and I found coming here and talking to people and getting to know people (helped).
“I have been to other leisure centres and they are so cold and unfriendly - you go in and have your swim and come out again. Well that’s not Avoniel - if you want you can stay and meet with the community - that’s what it means to me.”
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Joan said she doesn’t know where she will go when it closes as mobility is an issue for her.
She added: “Lisnasharragh would cost me £8 in a taxi and £8 back again, but I wouldn’t be meeting anybody - I would just be going in and having a swim and that’s not what I’m about.
“What we are asking for isn’t a big deal - keep Avoniel open for maybe another year.”
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Norman Nash, who travels from Holywood to use the facilities, said he will “be devastated” if it closes this year.
He added: “The older you get the more you depend on community things in easy reach of where you live.
“This is a life line for me and my mobility depends on it. It’s keeping me out of hospital.”
Avoniel Over 50s club treasurer Gladys Hamilton said if “Avoniel closes there will be no more over 50s club”.
She added: “It has been going for 13 years and means a lot to people who are on their own because we have outings, parties and we hold a Christmas dinner in Avoniel every year. Last year there was 90 there.
“We meet every Monday morning in the canteen but if we go to Lisnasharragh it won’t be the same atmosphere.
“Everybody is quite angry and they feel the elderly are being forgotten for the young ones."
A local GP said he feels council have “overlooked the sizeable group of over 50s that use Avoniel”.
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He added: “This is an area of social deprivation and you have folks over 50 who can become socially isolated.
“For many it’s a medical exercise - they go to cardiac classes and swimming for rehab - so for them it’s very important.
“The idea that they are going to be left for two years without these resources is a big problem.”
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£45million plans for East Belfast
Plans for Avoniel and Templemore are part of Belfast City Council’s £105million leisure transformation programme, of which £45m is being spent in the east of the city.
A council spokesperson said they will not close until Lisnasharragh opens, adding: “During the closures... we will be offering alternative leisure arrangements at other facilities, with transport provided as appropriate.
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“We are investing £17m to restore and extend the iconic Templemore Baths, 400 metres from Avoniel. This will replace Avoniel as the primary leisure centre for inner East Belfast and our plans for Avoniel will address the under-provision of 3G pitches in this part of the city.”
They said 400 people responded to their consultation on the plans, with 97% supporting plans for Templemore Baths and 84% supporting plans for Avoniel.
The spokesman added: “While we understand there will be short-term inconvenience for some users, these projects will completely transform the city’s leisure estate and will provide significant long-term economic, health and social benefits for residents."
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