Queen Elizabeth II Sports Hall on St Mary’s has won plaudits following an inspection that included a series of ‘mystery visits’ last month. Among the favourable impressions left with the inspectors was the ‘warm welcome’ the centre offered and how ‘well managed’ this Council facility was.
Inspectors from Quest, the UK Quality Scheme for Sport and Leisure, found everything at the Sports Hall to be ‘shipshape, a very important characteristic for a small island community.’
‘This is welcome and well deserved praise for what is still a relatively new facility,’ said Cllr Richard McCarthy, who chairs the Community Services committee that oversees the running of the Sports Hall which opened in 2012. ’It’s a worthy tribute to the hard work our staff put in. And it shows just how fortunate these islands are to have such an impressive venue which, because it’s well run, can and does impact so positively on the health and wellbeing of everyone who uses it,’ he added.
In addition to their mystery visits to Scilly, Quest also carried out a separate on-site assessment to help them judge the overall ‘customer experience’ at the Hall as well as management performance. They also reviewed plans, policies and procedures as well as talking directly to staff and users alike.
The inspector’s report highlighted the ‘good partnership working that takes place at the centre, particularly with education and health services.’ It commented favourably too on the ‘new sense of direction’ the Council’s ‘recent re-organisation appears to have given.’
There were one or two areas where Quest suggested ‘further improvements’ could be made, such as ‘developing a volunteering scheme’ at the Hall, producing a ’clearer, larger map’ on leaflets and for the website to help attract more holidaymakers to the facility.
Tess Lloyd, who is in day-to-day charge of the running of the Sports Hall as well as the Fitness Suite and Normandy Swimming Pool, will be putting together an action plan to review these suggestions.
Islanders or visitors who would appreciate making their own suggestions or learning more about activities available at the Hall, can ring 01720 424373 or email tlloyd@scilly.gov.uk