BOLTON Arena has another plaudit under its belt after being placed in the top 25 per cent in the country for leisure management.

Already an award-winning leisure complex, staff at the Middlebrook centre have been working towards achieving the Quest Quality Management Award for the past six months.

Introduced by Sport England in 1996, Quest is the UK's quality management scheme for sport and leisure.

Following a two-day on-site visit by an independent assessor, the arena is now a Quest accredited centre.

Managing director Mike Bain said: "It's brilliant news. We are now waiting for a full report from Quest which will outline our key strengths and any areas for improvement.

"But we are pleased that our provisional score puts us in the top 25 per cent of all accredited leisure venues in the UK.

"We now have a framework that enables managers to manage more efficiently and effectively and move closer to meeting and exceeding customer needs.

"It is our goal to be in the top 10 per cent by the time of our next assessment, and I am confident that with the support of all the staff at the arena, we will reach our next target comfortably."