HUNDREDS of people have signed a petition to help a Southampton boxing club take over a Southampton leisure centre.

As previously reported, St Mary’s Leisure Centre is due to close at the end of this year as an agreement for Solent University to run the centre is due to end.

Having run the site for 10 years on behalf of the council, allowing members of the community to use it, the university has now moved to its new Solent Leisure Complex.

St Mary’s Leisure Centre, Southampton. Inset: Inner City Boxing chairman, Gino Piccinino.

St Mary’s Leisure Centre, Southampton. Inset: Inner City Boxing chairman, Gino Piccinino.

Now though, with the site set to close as of December 23, hundreds have signed a petition to help Inner City Boxing Club become the new custodians.

The online petition was started just before the pandemic when the club was asked to put in a bid for the centre and since then a total of 737 people have signed.

This comes as the club says it has outgrown its current home in a grade 2 listed building at 76 St Mary Street.

Chairman of the club, Gino Piccinino, explained to the Echo that although the club’s current site is a “wonderful building”, it is not big enough for the club which brings in people from across the area.

Inner City Boxing chairman, Gino Piccinino.

Inner City Boxing chairman, Gino Piccinino.

He said: “Unfortunately it looks like we are the victims of our own success because we have a lot of members and the space is limited.

“We can’t take more than 25 people at each session. We need a bigger place.

“We are trying to stay in St Marys because of the children especially. We believe that St Marys Leisure Centre should by used by the local community.”

A consultation is currently taking place with users of the leisure centre as to how its closure will affect them as a decision is yet to be made on plans to end its activities.

Concerns have been raised about plans by the council to permanently close or possible sell off the site.

Cllr John Hannides, Cabinet Member for Finance and Capital Assets, said: “Due to the condition of the building, which will require significant repair, and a decrease in user numbers over recent years, we are proposing to end leisure services.”