Stourport Sports Centre in Worcester has been awarded the National Deafblind Friendly Corporate Award in the category of Health and Wellbeing.

The centre, owned by Wyre Forest District Council and managed by DC Leisure, won the accolade for outstanding individual service to a regular customer.

Stourport was nominated for the award by Mark Taylor from Kidderminster, who has exercised regularly at the centre for the past 20 years.

Mark, who is blind and partially deaf, said: “I swim in the Stourport pool every week and the staff have always been ready to help. Someone takes me to the edge of the pool, where there is a lane reserved for me.

“I think the staff understand how important it is for me to swim and exercise as they know the sense of wellbeing and confidence this gives me.”

Damian Watts, general manager at Stourport, said: “We will be going for Inclusive Fitness Initiative (IFI) accreditation next year and will continue to do our best to ensure that there are no barriers to participation for any of our users.”

The Stourport site features a 50-station gym kitted out by Precor and Technogym, a 25m pool, an aerobics studio and a six-court sports hall.

Organised jointly by Sense and Deafblind UK, the annual Deafblind Friendly awards are judged by a panel of deaf and blind people, who draw on various positive and negative experiences within the public sector.