Gang Warily Recreation Centre

Gang Warily Recreation and Community Centre is a multi-purpose leisure complex located geographically on the outskirts of the New Forest National Park and coastline of Calshot and Lepe beach.

It was officially opened in 1986 as a community centre designed to engage local people within Fawley Parish; but through its popularity and demand for sporting provisions Gang Warily has evolved in to a multi-functional facility.

It has become ‘the hub’ for all leisure activities and large scale events expanding its cliental across the Waterside area as far afield as Totton and the New Forest.  Situated on 86 acres of open space Gang Warily Recreation Centre is unique in its versatility of leisure provisions.

It has become home to many local clubs and community groups and its adaptability has led to many large scale organisations returning year on year.

Please visit the  Gang Warily Recreation and Community Centre website for more information.

People old and new to the centre often ask what Gang Warily means and why it was given such a bizarre and unusual name. This dates back to a historic confrontation between the English and Scottish in the battle of Bannockburn in 1314 where the fast thinking ingenuity of the Scottish troops covered the ground with four pointed spikes (caltrops), and crippled the advancing English cavalry consequently leading to a Scottish victory.

Many years later the Drummond Clan who played a pivotal role in the battle were commended and granted permission to use the caltrops symbol in their coat of arms. So the phrase ‘Gang Warily’ in Latin translation literally means Go Carefully.

It was not until 1772 when the Drummond Clan moved to Hampshire that they acquired large areas of land in Southampton.

Part of this land was named “Gang Warily” and when sold to Fawley Parish Council for the proposal of a local sports and community centre it was rather fitting to keep the name.