CAMPAIGNERS were celebrating a stay of execution for Peers Sports Centre in Littlemore and vowed to continue campaigning to save it long-term.

More than a dozen people gathered outside Oxford Town Hall to lobby councillors discussing the proposed closure at the executive board meeting yesterday.

Their efforts to save the swimming pool and sports centre over the past few months paid off when councillors postponed the authority's withdrawal from the running of the centre until March 31, 2008. It was originally due to close on January 1.

The new closure date will ensure local schools using the centre will be able to complete courses and council leaders agreed to investigate keeping dry sports facilities open between March and August next year.

The centre and swimming pool on the Peers School campus, owned by Oxfordshire County Council and run by the city council, is due to be demolished as part of plans to turn Peers School into a new city academy.

But campaigners say the stay of execution has now given them an opportunity to campaign for its long-term future.

They believe the Lib Dem-run council will be outvoted by opposition Labour and Green councillors to offer the centre more funds.

John Tanner, Labour city councillor for Littlemore, said: "This is more than a stay of execution because Labour and the Greens will agree to include money in their budget for Peers sports centre to stay open until August 31.

"The next job is to persuade the academy to keep the pool as part of the facilities for the public."

John Green, a spokesman for the Rose Hill Tenants and Residents Association, said: "This is definitely a victory because we have bought enough time for Labour and the Greens to vote to keep the centre open until the end of August.

"We can also approach the academy to lobby them to keep the sports centre open while the new academy is being built.

"Even while the school is being demolished the sports centre could be kept open with a little bit of imagination."

Jane Alexander, 52, of Dene Road, Cowley, has hip and back problems and uses the sports centre pool regularly.

She said: "I am registered disabled and I cannot walk long distances.

"I want to be able to get to my local swimming pool - for people with a disability swimming is often the only exercise they can get."

Ruth Wilkinson, 51, from Rose Hill, added: "This is fantastic news for the people of Rose Hill and Littlemore.

"We will now promote use of the centre because the summer holidays is a time when a lot of people will use it."

At present, there are no plans for a pool to be built as part of the sports facilities provided by the academy, a decision which council leader John Goddard described as "bizarre".

The council's plan to pull out on January 1 would have saved £65,000 this financial year and £300,000 each year afterwards.

Green city councillor Matt Sellwood, who is on the executive board, said the Green group would include a proposal in its budget for the sports centre to remain open until August 2008, shortly before the new Academy at Peers is due to be launched.