More Leisure Community Trust and its managing agent Serco Leisure have been awarded a 10-year contract to operate Stoke Mandeville Stadium.

The pair will take over the management of the venue on 3 April 2018 on behalf of WheelPower, the national charity for wheelchair sport, which owns the stadium.

Serco Leisure plans to make “significant enhancements” to the site during the next decade, including improvements to the stadium’s sporting and hospitality facilities – and through developing new partnerships.

Martin McElhatton, CEO of WheelPower, said: “We’re excited at the opportunity the partnership will provide to further develop the facilities and provide life-transforming experiences for disabled people through sport and physical activity.

“Stoke Mandeville Stadium is at the heart of the local community and our new partnership will ensure more local people in Aylesbury Vale and Buckinghamshire have access to wonderful facilities for sport and leisure.”

Jason Holtom, Serco Leisure’s managing director, added that the company would be using its “longstanding and close relationships” with both Sport England and national governing bodies of sport to develop links and activity programmes that provide opportunities and pathways for working with disability sports clubs and organisations.

“WheelPower’s expertise, together with our knowledge and experience in running large-scale sporting centres, makes this new partnership the perfect fit,” Holton said.