THIS Sunday (February 28) will mark 10 years since the Malton Community Sports Centre was officially opened to the public.

In those 10 years the centre has seen over 50 different sports teams use the site as their base for training and matches, an average of 1,500 visitors pass through the door per week and organisations such as the NHS Blood Service utilising the facilities on a regular basis.

Jay Rowley, facilities manager at Malton School, has been involved with managing the centre since it opened and has plans for its future development as well.

Mr Rowley said: "Whilst it’s really sad that the centre will spend this major milestone with its doors closed to the public, we are really excited about the future with more classes planned and more joint working.

"It’s also incredible to think how far we’ve journeyed in that time. I can’t wait to see what the next 10 years will bring."

The centre hosts a number of community initiatives including Mini Kickers, Walking Football, Junior Netball, Soccer 6s as well as providing space for over a dozen weekly fitness classes.

It also offers first-class sporting facilities for Malton School.

The venue also provides specialist support for the local community, including rehabilitation programmes in partnership with Malton Hospital, a mammogram screening unit base and acts as a ballot counting centre for local and national elections.

The centre was a "dream come true," for the Derwent Sports Centre Association, which had been campaigning for 35 years for just such a facility to be built and during that time raised over £50,000 for the build.

Over the last year, the venue has had to close due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, during that time, like so many other venues it has offered online classes and has kept in regular contact with users and clubs.

If you are interested in hiring the centre, once it is able to reopen, or in attending classes, you can find out more information at: www.maltonsport.org