Latest news with #FreedomLeisure
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Revamp of Worcester leisure centres part of five-year plan
A deal has been struck over the management of a city's leisure services for the next five City Council has extended its partnership with not-for-profit company Freedom Leisure to continue its existing contract up to December the agreement, originally signed in 2016, the firm has run Perdiswell Leisure Centre, St Johns Sports Centre and Nunnery Wood Sports Complex, along with the city's Healthy Communities council said the renewed contract included a commitment by Freedom Leisure to invest in facilities and boost energy efficiency. Perdiswell Leisure Centre will get refurbished fitness facilities, improved energy efficiency and upgraded CCTV equipment under the St Johns Sports Centre will see a revamp of its fitness suite and the 3G football pitch will be replaced and upgraded. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New lease for leisure centre, council says
A leisure centre which was previously at risk of closure has now secured a lease until 2042, Wealden District Council says. Uckfield Leisure Centre had been subject to a campaign to save it in 2023, leading to 5,000 people signing a petition to safeguard the site. The council says it will now continue to lease the site from East Sussex County Council into the future, with Freedom Leisure contracted to operate the site until April 2027. Contracts for running the leisure centre, alongside Hailsham and Crowborough leisure centres, will be awarded in the next 12 to 18 months, the council added. Kelvin Williams, lead councillor for public health and asset management, said: "We have put £78,000 towards improvements and have already undertaken works which have included a new pool cover, destratification fans in the pool and in the gym, circulation pumps and a new chlorine bulk tank. "There are further planned energy efficiency measures to be installed at the centre over the next 12 months." Nearly 140,000 visits were made to the leisure centre between April and November 2024, a spokesperson for the council added. In the same time period, more than 40,000 visits were made to the swimming pool. Wealden District Council had previously agreed to hand the site back to East Sussex County Council in October 2022, but later agreed to seek a new lease after a campaign to save it. The site was later listed as an asset of community value, meaning that the local community would be given a chance to bid for it if it comes up for sale in the future. According to the council, Freedom Leisure has invested over £300,000 into improvements to the swimming pool as well as new fitness equipment, a spin studio and wellness studio. Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Consultation opens into 1,700-home proposal GPs and sports centre join forces Wealden District Council
BBC News
25-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Wealden council secures new lease for Uckfield Leisure Centre
A leisure centre which was previously at risk of closure has now secured a lease until 2042, Wealden District Council Leisure Centre had been subject to a campaign to save it in 2023, leading to 5,000 people signing a petition to safeguard the council says it will now continue to lease the site from East Sussex County Council into the future, with Freedom Leisure contracted to operate the site until April for running the leisure centre, alongside Hailsham and Crowborough leisure centres, will be awarded in the next 12 to 18 months, the council added. Kelvin Williams, lead councillor for public health and asset management, said: "We have put £78,000 towards improvements and have already undertaken works which have included a new pool cover, destratification fans in the pool and in the gym, circulation pumps and a new chlorine bulk tank."There are further planned energy efficiency measures to be installed at the centre over the next 12 months."Nearly 140,000 visits were made to the leisure centre between April and November 2024, a spokesperson for the council the same time period, more than 40,000 visits were made to the swimming District Council had previously agreed to hand the site back to East Sussex County Council in October 2022, but later agreed to seek a new lease after a campaign to save site was later listed as an asset of community value, meaning that the local community would be given a chance to bid for it if it comes up for sale in the to the council, Freedom Leisure has invested over £300,000 into improvements to the swimming pool as well as new fitness equipment, a spin studio and wellness studio.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Worcestershire athletes invited to apply for complimentary access to leisure centres
A LEISURE trust is offering free access to its centres for nationally ranked athletes. Freedom Leisure, which runs Perdiswell Leisure Centre and St John's Sports Centre in Worcester, has announced the relaunch of its FLAIR scheme. The scheme gives free access to Freedom Leisure centres across the country for nationally ranked athletes. The scheme, which was originally designed to help promising sportspeople complement their training programmes, is now back and open to a new generation of talented individuals striving for excellence on the national and international stage. Athletes who meet the criteria can now apply for complimentary membership at a Freedom Leisure facility of their choice. This will provide access to gyms, swimming pools, studios, courts, and other facilities. The leisure trust has extended the scheme to anyone aged 11 or over, therefore increasing the number of sportspeople able to apply. Ivan Horsfall Turner, chief executive officer at Freedom Leisure, said: "At Freedom Leisure, we believe in the power of sport to inspire, unite and transform lives. "We are incredibly proud to relaunch FLAIR and to support the UK's most promising athletes in achieving their dreams. "As a not-for-profit organisation, our focus is always on supporting the communities we serve — and that includes nurturing the next generation of sporting heroes." Applications for FLAIR are now open via the Freedom Leisure website until Saturday, May 31. Applicants will need to provide evidence of their national ranking and relevant competition history. Successful athletes will benefit from free use of one of Freedom Leisure's extensive network of centres, spanning more than 100 leisure centres across England and Wales. For full details and to apply, visit
Wales Online
07-05-2025
- Business
- Wales Online
How much Swansea Council subsidises running of city leisure centres
How much Swansea Council subsidises running of city leisure centres The current model using a specialist provider is 'way more affordable', according to one senior officer, compared with the council running the facilities itself Swansea's flagship leisure centre, the LC (Image: Riochard Youle ) Swansea Council will need to keep subsidising leisure centres but using a third party to operate them is less expensive than running them itself, a meeting heard. Seven years ago the authority awarded a contract to leisure operator Freedom Leisure to run the LC, in the city centre, and other leisure centres in the county. The council retained ownership of the buildings and pays Freedom Leisure an annual management fee. The fee in 2023-24 was just over £987,000, which was around £1m less than the first year of the contract. There has been further financial support from the council to sustain the leisure centres during the Covid pandemic, when energy bills spiked following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and to help with wider cost-of-living pressures. Cllr Robert Francis-Davies, cabinet member for investment, regeneration, and tourism, told a council scrutiny panel: "I'm very happy with the work Freedom Leisure are doing." Never miss a Swansea story by signing up to our newsletter here A report before the panel said visitor numbers to the seven leisure centres and sports complexes operated by Freedom Leisure rose by 3% in 2023-24 to just under 1.9m. Total income, excluding the management fee and external grants, was £8.31m in 2023-24 - again a 3% rise on the year before. Total expenditure was £9.88m, down a fraction from £9.89m in 2022-23. Article continues below The report said the council provided £228,542 on top of the management fee in 2023-24 to help with increased energy and staff costs, rises in inflation, and cost-of-living pressures. Cllr Jeff Jones asked if there would be a point when the council would not have to pay a subsidy. Cllr Francis-Davies replied that this was never the intention but that expenditure had come down compared to when the council ran the facilities. He said: "I don't think we will ever get to zero [subsidy]." He also said some councils in England had been forced to close leisure centres. Tracey McNulty, Swansea's head of cultural services, parks, and cleansing, said the council had analysed costs and set an "affordability level" before inviting operators to bid for the contract. "We have an operator that we effectively pay to run these leisure centres but at a level that's way more affordable than we could have achieved," she said. The meeting heard that usage of the refurbished Cefn Hengoed Leisure Centre in Bonymaen, with its indoor sports pitch, had soared. Jeremy Rowe, Freedom Leisure operations director, said visitor numbers hit around 94,000 in 2024-25 compared to just over 33,500 in 2023-24. The indoor sports pitch at Cefn Hengoed Leisure Centre, Bonymaen (Image: Swansea Council ) Mr Rowe went on to say that not-for-profit Freedom Leisure had maintenance obligations as part of its 19.5-year contract with the council. There had been investment in new boilers, pumps, and solar panels, he said, to bring down energy costs, and some external grant funding had been secured. Ms McNulty said the council maintained a "sinking fund" - a pot of money kept aside for when significant work was needed. Cllr Chris Holley, panel convenor, asked Freedom Leisure for a breakdown in writing of what the management fee consisted of and for details of who was responsible for what in terms of repairs. Cllr Sue Jones asked if something could be done to deter dog owners who didn't pick up their pets' mess at the Freedom Leisure-operated Elba Sports Complex, Gowerton. According to Cllr Jones primary schoolchildren locally had designed signs asking owners to be responsible but Freedom Leisure didn't allow them to be put up. Article continues below Mr Rowe said he would welcome "interaction" with the school on the issue and could look at social media messaging and potentially a campaign. Cllr Francis-Davies said the minority of dog owners who didn't pick up after them was a problem across parks more widely. "Everybody knows that dog owners should pick up dog mess," he said.
