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Campaigners celebrate as stadium to stay open

The future of the Julie Rose Stadium is becoming clearer.

Ashford Borough Council is now responsible for the stadium rather than the Julie Rose Stadium Trust, Ashford Leisure Trust will continue to manage the day-to-day running and the Julie Rose Stadium Trust company will continue but its focus will change.

Organisers of a protest held yesterday to save the Julie Rose Stadium are delighted that 500 people turned out in support and are celebrating the news the stadium is to remain open.

The closure may have been averted after an agreement was reached on its future last night.

It was agreed that the lease on the stadium will pass from the Julie Rose Stadium Trust (JRST) to Ashford Borough Council and the council has appointed Ashford Leisure Trust to continue its day-to-day management.

David Hill, chief executive of Ashford Borough Council said: “I would like to thank Ashford Leisure Trust and the public for their support and now encourage everyone to use this truly fantastic sporting facility.”

Now that the JRST has handed over the lease, it is now a trust company without a stadium.

Cllr Peter Davison (Ash Ind), chairman of the JRST, said: “We can continue as a trust company but we will then change emphasis on what we do.”

Following discussion at a meeting with fellow trustees last night, Cllr Davison said they hope to operate as a trust which supports athletics in the south east, in particular at the Julie Rose Stadium.

The trustees are now looking at the possibilities of using the funds to sponsor athletes and buy equipment.

Peter Le Rossignol, vice chairman of Ashford Athletic Club (AAC), started a Facebook group to save the stadium which now has over 2,300 members.

Mr Le Rossignol does not mind who is responsible for the stadium - as long as AAC is a key partner.

He said: “I don’t think it does make a difference who runs it as long as Ashford Athletic Club is a key part of their plans.”

As well as hundreds of children and athletes, Joyce Rose, mother of the late Ashford athlete Julie Rose attended the protest to show her support.

Mike Dobriskey, father of Olympic athlete Lisa Dobriskey, who trained at the stadium, came to the protest at the request of his daughter. He travelled to Ashford from Stratford in east London as he is working at the site of the London 2012 Olympic stadium.

He said: “I’m building one site and closing another one - it seems ludicrous.”

At the time of the protest Lisa was on a plane on route to South Africa for warm weather training.

Mr Dobriskey said: “I would have come anyway because I have strong feelings for the place and didn’t like the thought it could closed.”

The protest was organised after meetings took place on Friday in which stadium staff, who are employed by Ashford Leisure Trust, were told their jobs would going and the stadium will shut if an agreement was not reached by midnight on tonight.

Fitness classes were also cancelled from April 1.

The wrangling began over the amount of funding available but Ashford Borough Council has made demands which include trying to oust the Julie Rose Stadium Trust from the running of the stadium and handing £25,000 of the Julie Rose Stadium Trust’s reserves to Ashford Leisure Trust.

The conditions, first put on the table a week ago by the council is that the Julie Rose Stadium Trust hands back its 125 lease of the stadium in 12 months time and takes a hands off approach of the running of the stadium from Wednesday.

Ashford MP Damian Green had offered to chair a meeting to help reach a solution.

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