Spa Centre’s saviour bids a fond farewell

THE man who whipped aside the threatening ‘final curtain’ looming over Leamington’s Spa Centre is to leave his post.

Antony Flint was taken on as the venue’s manager in January 2010, following a report by its subsidiser Warwick District Council that questioned the viability of the theatre.

After being given two years to do what he could to prove it was a centre worth taxpayers’ money, Mr Flint oversaw a major refurbishment of the building and transformed the programme to include more theatrical productions and mainstream comedians.

But this week he revealed that he has accepted a new position as manager of the Leicester City Council-run entertainments venue, De Montford Hall.

Speaking to the Courier, he said: “It’s a bigger venue with a bigger budget and a higher profile programme and I am an ambitious person who wants to progress my career.

“I would be lying if I said I am leaving here without mixed feelings. We have all worked very hard to get the venue to the way it is now.

“Having refurbished the building and extended the programme to be broader than it has ever been, we have come a long way.

“But it does seem to be a time for a natural break.”

Mr Flint said he was pleased his new job did not require him and his family to leave south Warwickshire. He said: “I want to keep tabs on the Spa Centre. It now has a status to build on. Exciting times lie ahead for the new manager.”

District councillor Sue Gallagher, responsible for policy on leisure services, said: “Antony has been a breath of fresh air and a pleasure to work with. His professionalism and drive have been invaluable in creating the new-look Spa Centre and raising its profile in the local area.

“We knew when he joined that he was ambitious and looking to progress in his career and we wish him well in his new role in Leicester.”

The council is now recruiting for a new manager to start in July, when Mr Flint will leave his post.