ONE of Hambleton’s leisure centres has been judged as one of the best in the country.

The Bedale Leisure Centre has been rated as excellent in a national quality award scheme.

Quest is an improvement programme within the leisure industry and its rigorous assessments challenge even the very best leisure centres in the UK.

The assessment covers a range of modules and areas and the centre scored excellent for delivering a service focused on community need and priorities that strive to increase participation.

It was also marked as excellent for customer experience and insight, team and skill development, cleaning and housekeeping, maintenance and equipment, dual-use facilities, lifeguarding and financial management and performance.

Both staff and customers were consulted during the audit process and mystery visitors took part in activities to ensure consistent quality.

Centre manager Fiona Wilson said: “Only 10 per cent of leisure centres nationwide have achieved excellent status so we are delighted by this fantastic achievement at Bedale.

“We have an ongoing programme to improve facilities for our customers, and Quest is a great way to demonstrate our achievements and the value of our skilled and customer-focused workforce.”

Quest defines industry standards and good practice and encourages ongoing development and delivery within a customer focused management framework. For more information, visit questnbs.org