A MOTHER has branded a group managing the city’s leisure centres as “inconsiderate” after it offered her a birthday treat at Temple Cowley Pools.

Fusion Lifestyle offered Virginia Moffat a complimentary exercise class of her choice at the leisure centre to mark her 50th birthday earlier this month.

It is more than six months since Temple Cowley Pools and Leisure Centre closed following Oxford City Council’s sale of the site to housing association Catalyst.

Mother-of-three Ms Moffat, of Wilkins Road, said she thought Fusion Lifestyle were “inept” and said it was “ludicrous” it was still sending the emails.

She said: “There’s no sense of irony about it whatsoever. I have no choice [of exercise class] because the place I want to go to is no longer there.”

In the email, Fusion Lifestyle told Ms Moffatt the team at Temple Cowley Pools wanted to wish her happy birthday and offered her the “gift” for being a “loyal visitor”.

Ms Moffatt said the email reminded her she had hardly exercised or swam since the leisure centre closed after being “put off” travelling to Barton Leisure Centre or Leys Pools & Leisure Centre.

Director of the Save Temple Cowley Pools campaign group Nigel Gibson said it was a “real shame” Fusion Lifestyle had not updated its system and that it had sent Ms Moffatt the email.

He said: “People still want to use somewhere like Temple Cowley Pools and people do get upset when systems like this go wrong and it just shows how poor Fusion is.”

The city council agreed to sell the Temple Cowley leisure centre to the housing association for £3.5m last December, although the site would be handed back to the council if planning permission is not granted.

Catalyst revealed further details of its plans to build a mix of 48 flats and houses on the site at a public exhibition last month.

It said 24 of the homes will be affordable, with 19 for social rent and five shared ownership.

Catalyst has not yet submitted its planning application but is looking to start construction in July 2016, with work taking about 22 months to complete.

But members of the Save TCP group have vowed to continue fighting proposals and want to speak with Catalyst in the hope it will save the leisure centre, rebuild changing rooms and construct housing above and around the facility.

Fusion Lifestyle did not respond to requests for comment.

* See chg.org.uk/templecowley