Abbeycroft Leisure has been appointed by Suffolk County Council to provide expertise to schools who run community sports facilities to implement growth plans.

The Suffolk-based leisure trust and social enterprise will provide advice and mentoring to 12 schools in South West Ipswich and South Suffolk who have sports centres or who let out their facilities to the community.

The aim is to make the facilities more self-sustainable and increase use.

The trust will work with schools to develop consistent price frameworks, marketing strategies, management reporting systems, a shared direct debit collection service and to mentor and coach managers.

Warren Smyth, Chief Executive of Abbeycroft Leisure, said: "We are happy to share our knowledge and experience of running successful leisure facilities with schools in Suffolk. As a social enterprise we are a not-for-profit organisation and very much geared towards helping the community."

The project is already being heralded as an example of best practice by Sport England, the government agency responsible for building the foundations of sporting success in the UK.

The schools involved in the project are: East Bergholt High School, Hadleigh High School, Holbrook High School, Chantry High School, Beacon Hill School, Thomas Wolsey School, Claydon High School, Thurleston High School, Westbourne Sports College, Bridge School and Suffolk One (Sixth Form Higher Education College). Richard Hunt, Head of Culture, Sport & Communities at Suffolk County Council, said: "This is a really significant shift in our approach and partnership to schools sharing their sports facilities with the community.

"The appointment of Abbeycroft Leisure, an innovative community sports provider, to provide expertise across the 12 schools, recognises the growing importance of school facilities to community sport provision. With Abbeycroft's expertise and support we hope to build a partnership with schools to improve community access, provide quality services locally, and meet the educational needs and aspirations of schools in their community."