SAVE MAYSFIELD LEISURE CENTER

Wednesday April 02, 2003 13:43

by Cleo

Maysfield leisure centre situated beside central station belfast is in danger of closing next year. Maysfield is one of belfasts only mixed religion leisure centers catering for communities from nearby Short strand, lower ormeau and the rest of south belfast and ravenhill. It is easily accesible, by train, bus etc and provides working class catholics and loyalists, with the chance to learn a range of martial arts, from Tae kwan do, wing chung, karate, to jujitsu at affordable prices.

It also offers swimming and a range of other athletic and recreational facilities for working class children. If Maysfield closes the people of short strand who do martial arts will have to travel up to Avoniel leisure centre. Last year, catholics using Avoniel were threatened at gunpoint, told they weren't welcome and not to come back. I would not feel safe going to Avoniel as, I like to train with my catholic friends, and if they are made to feel unsafe and not welcome at Avoniel, I will not go there too, in solidarity with them. At the same time I feel wary going to Beechmount and andytown leisure centres because I'm not from the local community and also these centres are further away and not accesible by train. Belfast city council wants to sell off the lucrative land Maysfield occupies to private property developers, who've already acquired most of the vacant land around the lagan embankment, to build luxury private apartments, only affordable to rich professional outsiders. The local community of short strand could never be able to afford these luxury apartments and there is not enough rich executives in the world to fill them, so consequently many are empty white elephants. No use to the local community and lets face it, no use to others. What executive in their right mind would want to buy luxury apartments in Belfast? The shores of the lagan are littered with empty white elephant luxury apartments and vacant office blocks, the last thing we need is another vacant useless, extravagant wasteful white elephant. At least Maysfield is used by the local community and surrounding areas.