The brilliant and iconic Broughton Climbing Wall is under threat of closure
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Broughton Climbing Wall (aka The Temple) is located at the Fit City Recreation Centre on Camp Street, Salford, Manchester. The owner, Salford Community Leisure, has announced plans to close the centre by the end of this year. If this happens the most likely scenario is for the centre to be demolished, the wall turned to rubble, and for a developer to build flats and houses on the site.
Broughton Climbing Wall was masterfully created in concrete and natural stone, and provides a perfect training venue, especially for those aspiring to success on the nearby walls of Yorkshire limestone and the Peak. It has served many climbers over the past two decades and is an oasis of good vibes and hard climbing, with countless classic problems and traverses. Walls like this are simply not made any more.
The centre as a whole provides an even more important place for Salford locals to go and join in loads of different activities; martial arts, hockey, Church on Sundays, kids clubs, OAP clubs, football, skating, IT education etc...
There is a campaign under way to prevent the centre from closing. Broughton Against The Cuts is a group of local activists whose intention is to keep the centre alive and under public control. The proposal is to use the centre for IT education, indoor hockey, climbing and any other activity which could provide income to cover the necessary overheads. A meeting is being held to discuss possible solutions:
7pm, Monday 21st March.
The Star Inn,
2 Back Hope Street,
The Cliff,
M7 2FR
Any climbers with a skill (climbing wall staff, property expertise, BMC'ers.....) or influence (millionaires....), who want to help save this wall, please come. A petition has also been made and will be handed to Salford Council in the near future.
Broughton does not need more flats and houses, what it needs is for its thriving community centre, and climbing wall, to stay open and continue to flourish.
As a regular user of the wall I know there are many who also love this place dearly and want to prevent a great climbing facility from turning to dust. Maybe we could run a Schoolroom style venue, or collectively raise regular funds to ensure the that the wall lives on?
Apologies if I have missed an already active post on the Forum. Anyway, now is the time to make a stand. Hope to see you on Monday.
Until victory
