A BASINGSTOKE leisure facility has trumped its competitors in terms of the performance it offers customers.

The Aquadrome, in the Leisure Park came out on top in a Sport England-backed national benchmarking scheme.

Operated by the Basingstoke and Deane Community Leisure Trust, the facility was recognised by Sport England’s National Benchmarking Service (NBS) scheme, which allows local authorities to compare the performance of their sports and leisure centres with that of equivalent ones around the country.

Jimmy Miller, contract manager for the leisure trust, said: “This is a tremendous achievement for the site and for the teams who work there.

“To come out top overall for the whole of England shows what a great bunch of people we have working across Basingstoke, both customer facing, and the crucial behind the scenes people who ensure our sites run like clockwork, providing customers with the quality, value leisure experience they’ve come to expect from a BDCLT-run facility. I couldn’t be prouder of my team.”

Not only did the Aquadrome come out top overall, it also scored highly for accessibility.

The Basingstoke centre was one of just three top-scoring facilities to receive an award in the access category at this year’s NBS event.

The Access Awards recognise centres that have been particularly successful at attracting users from a wide range of backgrounds, including those from the most at-need groups.

Hazel Tilbury, chair of the leisure trust added: “I was delighted to hear news of these awards.

“As a Trust, our ethos is always quality, affordable leisure time for all, and we do everything we can to make our facilities as welcoming and accessible as possible for all sectors of the community.

“Well done to the teams on site for the hard work they put in all year round - they really deserve this important award.”