Blyth Valley Arts and Leisure Annual Review
2010 2011
Index Chair’s Report
Page 2
Chief Executive’s Report
Page 4
Concordia Leisure Centre
Page 6
Blyth Sports Centre
Page 9
Make-a-Move Leisure Inclusion Team
Page 12
Catering
Page 15
Wansbeck
Page 16
Business Development
Page 18
Health & Fitness
Page 19
Arts Development
Page 21
Auditor’s Report
Page 23
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Chair’s Report
will continue to be, achieving this despite the reduction in income from customers, external funding and local government funding. The future of the sports development, inclusion and outreach work is causing the Board particular concern at the moment, as all the fixed term funding is coming to an end and there are few new funding opportunities available and little flexibility within our income to continue to support this work. Catering has also been hit by the recession and the lack of disposable income in the area and we are currently reviewing the whole catering operation.
This year has been characterised by change and uncertainty for BVAL and yet again the staff and Board Members have risen to the challenges presented with a determination to maintain standards and a willingness to work in flexible and innovative ways. The economic downturn is being felt particularly harshly in the North East and it is ironic that those people in the greatest need of our services are the ones most likely to be hit by funding cuts for sports and arts development and for schemes such as free swimming for the over 60s. In an area of high unemployment, low educational aspirations and poor health it is essential that we continue to provide first class facilities and services, whilst addressing issues such as social exclusion and health inequalities. The challenge has been, and
On a more positive note, sports and arts development and health programmes have continued to be delivered in other areas of Northumberland and BVAL has continued to provide management of the Wansbeck facilities on behalf of the county council, as well as the Pegasus Riding Centre, Northburn Community Football Centre and The Sporting Club of Blyth. These additional services are provided to the council at no additional cost to them, despite increasing the choice and quality of services offered to residents across Northumberland. By mutual agreement the merger plans with North Country Leisure have been put on hold, although the two organisations continue to work closely in a number of areas to share good practice and provide value for money. Cramlington Town Council is now based in Concordia and this has enabled us to develop our relationship with them. In addition to rental income we have entered an agreement with them to inspect children’s playgrounds. Discussions are ongoing with other town and parish councils regarding playgrounds and sports development / outreach work.
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Health development work has become more integrated across the county and we are hopeful that a review of arts development will lead to an improved service in South East Northumberland. We have invested in improvements to the pool in Concordia and the multi use studio in Blyth Sports Centre and have begun the process of introducing a new staffing structure. BVAL has continued to support community events from village and town fairs to major sporting events. None of this could have been achieved without the professionalism, commitment and sheer hard work of our staff, who really are our greatest asset. I would like to personally thank the management team and staff and my colleagues on the Board, everyone of whom really have given their all this year for the benefit, not just of BVAL, but of the council and the residents of the county.
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Chief Executive’s Report
The Council is still progressing with its Leisure Review although no firm findings have emerged. However the aspiration to have all sites managed by one operator has diminished therefore the discussions between ourselves and North Country Leisure have stalled and no further progress has been made. This will probably be the situation until the findings of the review are known. As part of the continuing development of BVAL plans for the expansion of our inhouse support services have been put in place. With the operation of our own financial system on-line this year and the proposals for the recruitment of a full time Finance Manager and HR manager agreed. Once appointed these new posts will strengthen the Management Team.
Firstly I’d like to thank the Board, Management Team and all the Staff for their continuing support and hard work in what has been a busy and challenging year. One of our main challenges has been to continue externally grant funded posts and programmes. This we have managed to achieve in Arts, Health and Sports Development. However with changes to funding arrangements and current funding streams ending next year will be more difficult. It is however pleasing to see two long term developments ready to come online namely; the athletics facility at King Edward VI School and the artificial turf pitch at Blyth Community College. These projects have been several years in development and construction has been confirmed to start in the summer. The projects have a combined value of nearly £2m and this level of investment is very rare in the current economic climate. I’m sure the facilities will be well used and are valuable assets for the County.
We have been unable to secure confirmation of a formal agreement and staff transfer for the former Wansbeck facilities, although we continue to provide interim management for the centres and support for Ashington Leisure Centre Trust. Hopefully this situation will improve next year and a more secure arrangement will be put in place. Both Concordia and Blyth Sports Centre have benefitted from investment this year; with modest investment at Blyth adding another studio space, whilst a major pool refurbishment has just been completed at Concordia. The refurbishment has resulted in the complete resurfacing of pool and surround. This year has also seen improvements made to the delivery of a unified county GP referral programme led by BVAL’s Health and Fitness Manager. This is the first time that the rigorous standards expected by the Health Service have been applied across the county. BVAL is also taking the lead in improving the evidence base by sponsoring a PhD study into the referral scheme. 4|Page
There are many other things that we are doing as an organisation both to improve the effectiveness of our own operation and to improve the quality of life within our community. The projects and initiatives mentioned above hopefully provide a flavour of the activities BVAL is involved in and what the community can expect in the future.
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Concordia Leisure Centre Concordia has faced a challenging year. With limited expenditure and savings to be made, it has been difficult to maintain and increase usage figures throughout the centre. Despite the demanding economic climate, however, efforts have been made to ensure that the level of service offered to our customers exceeds their expectations. Several promotions have been tried this year in an effort to increase/maintain usage. Traditional ways of communicating with our customers such as newspaper advertisements, leaflets, banners etc. have all been used, but in March, Concordia launched its own Facebook page. Facebook allows customers that ‘like’ the page to keep up to date with news, events, promotions etc. It also gives customers the opportunity to communicate directly with the centre, leaving comments, suggestions and asking questions. Customers can ‘share’ Concordia’s posts with their own friends, allowing our ‘message’ to filter out to an even wider audience. In the 3 weeks to the end of April, around 50 of our customers visited and ‘liked’ the page. This total is steadily rising as more and more of our customers enjoy the interaction that the Facebook page offers. Swimming This year, Concordia saw the highest swimming usage by the over 60’s across Northumberland. This was due largely to the Government’s ‘Free Swimming’ initiative. Unfortunately, the new Government withdrew the scheme as part of national cuts, and the campaign ended in July. As a result, our over 60’s customers returned to their pre campaign swimming habits, highlighting the fact that the initiative was never sustainable. Other swimming numbers have struggled to even meet the targets that had been set 2-3 years ago. It is clear from these figures, that
investment is desperately needed in the pool area. The Centre continued to participate in the British Gas swim promotion, which offered British Gas customers a free family swim at their local pool. Pool Work was finally agreed and tendered for the refurbishment of the pool. Work began on the 28 February and was completed on time for a 09 April grand reopening day. The works have included lining the pool including fantastic hand-painted images on the bottom, the covering of the poolside and the installation of interactive water features. It is yet to be seen what impact this will have on numbers but early signs and feedback has been extremely positive. Cramlington Town Council CTC took over the space formerly occupied by the nursery which closed last year. Alterations were made to transform the area into a workable office and meeting space for the council. The tenancy of CTC has helped turn an underperforming area into a profitable one, and it has also allowed BVAL to have a close working relationship with the newly formed council. It is hoped that the council’s influence and responsibilities will grow over the next few years. The relationship with the CTC has already been beneficial as it has been agreed that BVAL should take over the playground inspections in Cramlington from April 2011. This will widen BVAL’s portfolio and also increase income. Staffing Another apprentice leisure attendant was offered a place at Concordia following the offer of full time employment for the previous apprentice. He has now passed his apprenticeship and is employed as a casual leisure attendant at the centre.
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Agreement regarding the Supervisory restructure was gained from the board and consultation took place with those involved. It was agreed during the consultation that the current Supervisors would be given the first opportunity to apply, before the positions were advertised externally. Work is ongoing towards filling the positions and restructuring the shifts etc. Energy Savings The combined heat and power system (CHP) continues to make savings on our energy costs as well as the environment. The building energy rating also improved again this year and although still in category D it is gradually moving closer to C. The Carbon Trust, TAC and EnerG all performed audits this year including looking at lighting, water and overall energy usage. All found that the Centre met best practice standards in most areas. Smart metering was also implemented for all utility services, allowing monitoring of usage via a web browser. Towards the end of the year further energy saving measures were discussed including cavity wall and loft insulation. The possibility of installing solar panels, which the centre roof is ideal for, was also discussed, and we hope to move forward on these discussions in the New Year. Events The second Christmas comedy night took place on the bowls green. Even though the weather was atrocious the event still went ahead and there was a good turnout. Following its success, there are plans to hold a similar event next year. Other big events included an open day, a job fair with over 800 visitors and regular Monday night comedy events which continue to be well attended.
Next year Concordia Leisure Centre looks forward to further challenges including the settling in of the new structure with Assistant Managers and Senior Attendants and preparing for the upcoming Quest Assessment. We will strive to provide the best service possible in order to keep the centre as one of the main attractions in the area. Investment will be conducted wisely so that our customers continue to enjoy and support the centre. Sporting Club Cramlington The Sporting Club continues to improve its membership numbers and its Direct Debit income month on month largely due to the ‘single site’ membership. Gym and fitness class attendance was at an all time high since opening. Other areas of usage have been struggling slightly thanks to another severe winter that affected the use of the outdoor facilities e.g. astro turf. The updated management agreement was signed off by all parties concerned, but may have to be reviewed again if the proposed move from the school to go to academy status comes to fruition. The relationship between SCC and CLV remains strong, and together we have managed to carry out necessary maintenance work including, resealing the sports hall floor, deep clean of the astro turf surface (which has extended its life), and all lights replaced in both halls. A recording scheme was set up in the main hall this year in partnership with memotion, the idea being that customers could have their activity recorded. They could then purchase the film to watch for enjoyment or training analysis. Unfortunately the system had to be taken away towards the end of the year as the company could not find funding to continue. Neither the school nor BVAL felt it was viable to invest. Parking remains an issue and talks are ongoing regarding the installation of a barrier 7|Page
system to stop unauthorised vehicles driving down to the disabled bays. Hopefully this will be installed in the New Year. The Sporting Club hopes to continue to improve its usage and members over the next twelve months. We look forward to the next Quest assessment which will hopefully highlight that the centre is continually improving.
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Blyth Sports Centre This year has been a considerable challenge for Blyth Sports Centre as it aimed to continually improve following last year’s Quest assessment. Political and economic uncertainty have increased over the last twelve month period, but despite the changes and challenges, it is believed that the centre has demonstrated continuous improvement in its operation and a high level of customer satisfaction. Economic pressures for the local population continue to be of great concern, however, as it is believed that this is beginning to affect usage at the centre. Swimming Despite numerous marketing and promotional campaigns, public swimming figures continue to show a year on year decline. Marketing campaigns this year have featured an open day (numbers down on previous open days), reduced price entry vouchers in the local media and a voucher campaign offering a free adult swim with every full paying child. As part of national cost cutting exercises, funding for the free swimming campaign for the over 60’s was immediately withdrawn by the new government. No longer able to swim for free at the centre, this had a significant impact on the numbers of swimmers in this age group. School swimming also saw reduced lessons delivered by the centre’s swim team. As the cost of bus transport rose dramatically due to increased oil prices, schools decided that they could no longer afford to travel to swimming lessons. Furthermore, from September 2011, swimming will be removed as a compulsory element from the school curriculum which is expected to have a dramatic effect upon the number of schools continuing with swimming lessons. Future challenges now include the need for the
centre to ensure that every child can swim a minimum of 25m without the help of school lessons. The Centre continued to participate in the British Gas swim promotion, which offered British Gas customers a free family swim at their local pool. Staff This year saw a big step in the realisation of a new staff structure at the centre. In October, all three Supervisors took early retirement / redundancy package with a combined service of over 100 years at the centre! An interim structure is currently in place until new appointments are made in the roles of Assistant Facility Managers. This interim structure has given the opportunity for Supervisors from our satellite sites and a Leisure Attendant to gain invaluable experience of working in a large wet and dry facility. The appointment of assistant facility managers and senior leisure attendants will hopefully drive the process of continuous improvement forward, offering support to the Facility Manager and making financial savings throughout the organisation. Having been faced with the possibility of closure, proposals that were drafted last year were actually implemented this year, with the restructure of the Nursery over the summer period. The Nursery Manager was offered a position as a receptionist; one of the assistants accepted a redundancy package and the remaining two assistant’s negotiated new terms and conditions enabling the continuation of the Playgroup as a service. By increasing the pricing to attend the playgroup, the Nursery has managed to reduce the operating deficit that it was running at previously. National Lifesaving Championships Staff from the centre once again attended the National Lifesaving Championships and 9|Page
won a variety of individual and team medals. This was an excellent achievement by all concerned, and demonstrates that there is an exceptionally gifted team of lifeguards keeping the pool safe at Blyth. Energy and Plant The CHP continues to make savings on our energy costs as well as the environment. The Carbon Trust, TAC and EnerG all performed energy and water audits this year, all finding the centre meeting best practice standards in most areas. Smart metering was also implemented for all utility services, allowing monitoring of usage via a web browser. Proposals were put forward at the end of the year for Salix funding to allow new schemes to be implemented to provide energy savings and development of renewable energy technology. Orders have already been placed for cavity wall insulation and loft installation to be installed, with 4 years estimated as the payback time. Solar panelling installation was also discussed this year and would be the most cost effective renewable energy scheme for the centre. The cold winter, in particularly the period from mid November to Christmas, saw three heating batteries split in the plant room, resulting in cold air and pool temperatures during this period. Fortunately, good control of the heating system allowed disruption to customers to be kept to a minimum. Building Development / Refurbishment This year saw two areas of the Centre undertake minor refurbishment and facelifts. Firstly, BVAL paid for the creation of studio 3 in the old bar lounge area. This low cost scheme involved stripping out the old bar, seating and flooring and replacing with stud walling, sports flooring, new decoration, frosted windows and mood lighting. Customers have commented upon how attractive this area is and are delighted with
the transformation. The area will hopefully be complete with the addition of air conditioning in the year to come. Carpet from the old bar was used to replace even older carpet alongside the management offices. Secondly, Northumberland County undertook a scheme to replace the windows and heating in the soft play area and minor DDA works to the passenger lift. Plans are currently being drawn to update the soft play equipment itself in the hope of increasing the usage in this room. Faults continued to plague the spa and steam room this year, with the main building contractor for the scheme (Mansell’s) being asked to pass comment on the faults with these facilities. After a site visit, the contractor failed to accept responsibility for the leaking spa and lifting floor tiles, leaving BVAL to install a new steam generator, relay lifting tiles in the steam room to a new slope to the drain, re-grout tiles in the steam room with epoxy grout and seal shower floor tiles with appropriate grout. Customer / Staff Surveys This year’s customer satisfaction survey was conducted on site by centre staff, with the questionnaires being sent away for analysis. The results showed that the centre has made significant improvements in satisfaction levels, having improved its score in all areas from the previous survey. Indeed, 11 out of the 14 areas surveyed gave a satisfaction score of 4 or more (out of 5) with helpfulness, knowledge and friendliness of the staff all scoring highly. As a part of the continuous improvement action plan set by the Quest improvement team, the temporary Supervisors were tasked with undertaking daily customer questionnaires into facility standards and presentation. Although new in its conception, it is hoped to feed back the scores to customers on a daily basis and use the scores to highlight problems with specific areas which can then be addressed. 10 | P a g e
The latter end of this year also saw all staff given the opportunity to complete an online staff satisfaction survey, using Survey Monkey as the collection and analytical tool. This is the first staff survey that has been undertaken in the last five years and the final report will compare against the previous report and highlight areas of satisfaction and improvement. Sporting Club Blyth The Sporting Club of Blyth saw its first full year of operation and continued to provide a valuable satellite facility to the local population. Funding was finally pulled together from all partnerships to fund the 3G artificial pitch, with the help of a grant from the Football Foundation. Work is due to commence in July, with a completion expected at the end of October.
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Make-a-Move Leisure Inclusion Team (Sports Development) 2010 has been another fantastic year for the service. The Make-a-Move team effectively delivered a variety of exciting projects across a range of diverse communities. A record 118,356 people have been engaged by the service in 2010/11. The projects and activities highlighted below provide a flavour of what proved to be a challenging but exciting year for the service. As part of Quest (UK Quality Scheme for Sport and Leisure) the service undertook a comprehensive one day maintenance assessment scrutinising all elements of provision, including Delivery, Strategy and People. After the assessment Jack Goodfellow, Quest Assessor stated “The Team offer an excellent service to the residents of South East Northumberland and is to be congratulated on its achievements over the past 12 months.” One of the key achievements highlighted by Quest was the transformation of the services marketing techniques ‘cutting edge’. Make-a-Move is now on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr, which enables the team to interact and promote the service to a range of audiences. The service was also recognised by Northumberland High Sheriff for its valuable services to the community, the award was accepted by two young volunteers on behalf of the service. 2010 was the final year of the Big Lottery funded play programme. Over the 3-year funding period 8811 young people have attended a range of diverse play activities. The success of the project has exceeded all expectations. Ability to Play This scheme went from strength to strength helped by a significant grant from Aiming High which enabled the project to expand into West and North Northumberland. The project delivers a range of needs led interventions targeting disabled young people and their families. One of the many
highlights of the programme was the Christmas Family Fun Day at Linden Hall.
With the support of the Make-A-Move team the event was organised by a group of Ability to Play regulars. Over 350 people enjoyed activities such as an outdoor ice rink, laser battlefield, pony rides, pantomimes and much much more. The young people raised over £500 on the day and decided to donate the money to the Make-a-Move team as a gesture of thanks for the impact the team have had on their lives. Chris Maddox one of the projects regulars said “Ability to Play has not only changed my life but the lives of my friends and many others who have disadvantaged circumstances.” Ability to Play had a major role in Northumberland’s Aiming High portfolio which was nominated for a National award. The Pegasus Centre The Centre is now realising its potential as a centre of excellence for disabled riding. The Centre caters for all ages and abilities. Turn About Pegasus, a project aimed at integrating excluded young people back into school, has been a huge success with 40 young people graduating from the project. Northburn Sports and Community Centre The programme of activities at continues to expand. A wide range of sports and community organisations make use of the centre’s excellent facilities. The centre provides a base for the services ‘Move It – Community Dance School’. Northburn is the home for a number of successful Charter Standard football clubs, providing the full spectrum of football provision. The Centre has successfully hosted a number of high profile events.
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New Facilities This is now the third facility in the services portfolio. The team has already delivered a number of exciting events using the parks excellent outdoor facilities. The service is delighted to announce that after years of hard work the funding is now confirmed to develop a 3G synthetic pitch and to improve the grass pitch drainage at The Blyth School and to create a 6 lane synthetic athletics track at King Edwards VI High School. Combined, the projects will see investment of over £1.8m into sports facilities in Northumberland. This is in addition to the £353,475 of revenue funding the service successfully secured over the year. Holiday Programmes Young people from across South East Northumberland had a fantastic time in the school holidays thanks to superb action packed holiday programmes. Nearly 70% of participants said the sessions were either good or excellent and 80% believed the range of activities were good or excellent. A highlight of the summer programme was 10 young people from Seaton Valley successfully completing the gruelling 140mile coast-to-coast bike ride. The 10 week training programme paid off with the group arriving at Tynemouth Priory in record time, with smiles as wide as the Tyne! Other highlights were National Play Day and the Hula Hula Beach Party. These two events attracted over 800 local people and delivered a variety of fun activities including bungee trampoline, face painting, virtual dance mats. The October SPOOKTACULAR holiday programme included the now legendary fright night evening at Concordia Leisure Centre, which was sold out within days! The spooky event consisted of a disco, fancy
dress competition, cinema and Dr. Deaths Laboratory with Franksteins body game..
Events The Make-a-Move team presented the spectacular Christmas ‘Winter Wonderland Dance Show’ in January! The pre-Christmas event was postponed due to Cramlington Learning Village’s closure due to the extreme snow. The event was still fantastic, with a sell out audience of over 200 parents and relatives enjoying the performances of over 100 young people. Seven young people graduated from the dance leaders’ programme, and they are now capable of delivering their own dance sessions. The Dance Mat programme delivered throughout schools and community venues has been extremely popular with over 700 enjoying the unique opportunity to bop to their favourite tunes. The mats have encouraged a lot of girls aged 13-16 to take part in physical activity. In April the team organised the annual Northumberland Futsal Competition at Concordia Leisure Centre. The event brought together teams from all over the North East. This year was the biggest and best yet with over 150 players aged 14 to 16 years. The home crowd went wild when local side Bingo Wings took the trophy, beating Stanley Elite 2-1 in the final. Six primary schools in Blyth had their yearly fix of tag rugby in March. Taking place for the 6th year running, the Make-a-Move Tag Rugby Festival, involved over 100 children from years 3 and 4 taking part in a six week training programme to prepare them for the showcase finale. The Make-a-Move team continued to support Tri Northumberland with the organisation and delivery of Triathlon and swim events 13 | P a g e
throughout the year. The team worked in partnership to organise a successful London 2012 Open Weekend in July which included a family fun run, open water swim challenge and a middle distance Triathlon event. There are already plans in place for the coming year following confirmation that Tri Northumberland will be hosting the ITU World Championship qualifier and ETU European Championship qualifier in 2011. The service supported Ashington Judo Club to secure £2750 for a Judo event and to purchase Judo suits for its members. The majority were first time competitors with 86 juniors and 20 seniors taking part at Ashington Leisure Centre. The Make-a-Move Multi Sport project has continued to expand with weekly sessions taking place in Ashington, Newbiggin and Northburn. Young people from all three areas came together in December to compete at Newbiggin Sports & Community Centre. Over 200 young people have taken part in the project throughout the year. The Northumberland Athletic Network was launched in the Autumn. The Network, which is hosted by the service, will play a key role in developing athletics across Northumberland. Outdoor Activity Programme Over 8000 people have benefited from expert tuition in climbing, archery, mountain biking, paddle sports, team building and boot camps to name but a few. Morpeth Paddle Sport Club has continued to develop on the back of their nomination for last year’s prestigious club of the year award. This year the club hosted their 3rd national ranked Slalom Event which attracted over 150 participants, the Junior Interclub competition and their first ever Outdoor Kayak Polo weekend which had over 10 junior and senior sides competing. The team delivered the training for the Gold Duke of Edinburgh water expedition award which involved paddling independently for 4
days, camping on the riverside, safety and survival skills Leadership and Lifestyle The Recruit into Coaching programme came to a successful conclusion with 29 participants completing their 1st Level 1 coaching qualification. The recruits have gone on to volunteer in local clubs and community organisations, some of whom have now gained employment with BVAL. The sports leaders’ community programme has led to 33 young people becoming qualified as leaders who are now active in their local community. The service has secured £4000 towards a Volunteer Package Scheme which will allow its volunteers to access sports coaching qualifications, first aid training and safeguarding training. This will provide local people with the credentials to deliver sporting opportunities to young people and enhance their chances of gaining employment. The service uses sport and physical activity as a vehicle to educate young people about a range of issues that affect their lifestyle. ‘All About Me’ and ‘MEND – mind exercise nutrition do-it’ were successfully delivered, which involved addressing self esteem issues in young girls and obesity and weight issues in 7-13 year olds respectively. 2011/12 will be another challenging and uncertain year for the service as funding contracts end. It is hoped that alternative sources of funding will be secured to enable the team to continue to offer a multi-faceted and much needed service to South East Northumberland.
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Catering With sales significantly down for the second consecutive year, the catering company has once again been unable to make a financial contribution to BVAL. The consequence being that effectively BVAL has had to subsidise the catering company. As this situation obviously cannot be allowed to continue, a detailed review will be conducted and decisions taken at the end of June 2011, to determine the future of the organisation. Concordia Leisure Centre Concordia’s cafe has continued to witness a drop in income and whilst every effort has been made to address the problem, it’s been difficult to pinpoint the cause. The general economic downturn and competition from neighbouring facilities may have contributed, but it appears increasingly likely that customers are simply tending to move away from the more traditional lunch menu and more towards a ‘coffee culture’ with light snacks.
trial period offering Sunday Lunches, it remains an expensive facility to operate. Northumberland County Council will no doubt be considering the future of the Institute with the Ashington Leisure Centre Trust. Vending As expected, vending continued to do well and remains the significant contributor to the overall business. The future challenge is whether we continue to deliver a bar and catering service, or whether we seek to concentrate our efforts solely on vending.
Blyth Sports Centre Marylyn and her team continued to make efforts to boost income, with a range of innovative ideas and promotions. However, trade remained relatively slow and like Concordia; it has been a difficult year. Wansbeck Special events at Newbiggin Sports and Community Centre helped to generate additional income, with boxing in particular, proving to be extremely popular. Whilst wedding trade remained strong, we also attracted one or two new events to the centre, including a ‘Health & Healing Festival’ in October. This was one of the more unusual events to challenge our organisational skills, but a repeat booking for 2011 demonstrated our ability to deliver. Unfortunately, the Institute Bar at Ashington Leisure Centre again failed to realise a profit and despite the introduction of Sky TV and a 15 | P a g e
Wansbeck 2010-11 was the first full year in partnership with Blyth Valley Arts & Leisure Ltd., and whilst the arrangement remains ‘interim’, it’s hoped to secure a more formal agreement soon. Wansbeck colleagues remain employees of Northumberland County Council, as no agreement has yet been reached on the issue of pensions to permit a TUPE transfer to BVAL. Discussions have also taken place about a review of the current staff structure and it is hoped that NCC will soon conclude their single status negotiations and job evaluation exercise. Ashington Leisure Centre This has been a challenging year for the Ashington Leisure Centre Trust, not least because Northumberland County Council was unable to confirm its continued financial support of the facility until February. The uncertainty caused problems with both staff morale and our ability to retain customers; the Judo and Karate clubs for example (both long-standing supporters of the centre), taking the decision to re-locate. However, statements made by NCC have subsequently offered some reassurance : “Crucially, despite the financial challenge faced by the Authority, key frontline services, including libraries, schools and leisure centres have been protected from cuts”. Perhaps the most notable event of the year was the receipt of a substantial legacy. The late Mr John Talbot left over £600,000 to the Trust, describing Ashington Leisure Centre as his ‘spiritual home’. As this is the first time that such a significant sum has been bequeathed, decisions have not yet been taken as to how best to utilise the money. Unfortunately, the challenges presented by such an old facility were cruelly exposed during what turned out to be one of the
coldest winters on record. With split pipes on heater batteries, bursts to mains hot water supply pipes and failures with frost protection equipment, there was little alternative but to instigate a complete ‘shut down’ of the centre just before Christmas. The heavy snow and extreme cold during November and December also had a significant impact on attendances, with many regular customers simply not being able to travel in the difficult conditions. Add the problems experienced with our domestic water supply and the deterioration of the soft play area, and it’s clear to see the difficulties in presenting a building in any decent condition for our customers. Whilst we compensated those paying by monthly subscription and offered an extension on annual memberships, the overall negative effect of the public’s perception of the facility has been significant. However, it’s pleasing to report that we still attracted one or two regional events (e.g., sprint triathlon, trampolining and badminton), as well as the first wedding hosted in the Institute for some considerable time. The long-standing problem with the leaking bowls hall roof was resolved and we were fortunate to be able to obtain Wentworth’s bowls ‘blue’, to replace our old bowling carpet at a fraction of the normal cost. NCC was also able to identify funds to replace the Institute windows and old boilers. A grant obtained through the “Aiming Higher” scheme, secured the purchase of a new pool hoist, to assist disabled customers access the pool more easily. For possibly the first time in the Trust’s history, the very existence of the facility has been drawn into question. As the year comes to an end, discussions are taking place to review the provision of leisure in Ashington and as it will be Northumberland County Council who makes the final decision, the Trust will need to persuade 16 | P a g e
NCC of the benefits of retaining the current partnership and the advantages in redeveloping the existing site. Whether the Ashington Leisure Centre Trust remains a key partner in the delivery of this service is the major challenge ahead, but there is little doubt that 2011-12 will almost certainly mark a definitive change in leisure provision in the town. Newbiggin Sports & Community Centre The centre survived the extreme winter conditions and continues to enjoy relatively good support from the local community. There’s a reasonable function trade and the Wansbeck Suite is particularly attractive for weddings. Events have included a series of boxing shows, Christmas tribute bands and a very well-attended Holistic Harmony day. Although it appears difficult to attract more young people to use the centre, we have introduced a wider range of successful health and fitness classes, which are proving particularly popular. Bedlington Community Centre As a decision was taken to transfer the management of Bedlington Community Centre to the West Bedlington Town Council, BVAL’s arrangement was terminated in September. However, discussions with WBTC have since stalled and the centre remains closed.
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Business Development 2010-2011 has been a year of consolidation and review for the Business Development team. As Local government re-organisation enters its second year as many challenges and issues have been raised as in the first year with constant re-organisation, reviews and budget savings. Financial system In April 2010 BVAL went live with its new financial system. Access Dimensions and independent banking arrangements. Although the implementation of a number of modules is still outstanding, the system is proving to be a worthwhile investment and valuable asset to the company. Throughout the forthcoming year the challenge will be to embed fully the full functionality of the software and use to its full potential across the organisation. Information Services In the early part of the year, the new Gladstone PLUS2 infrastructure for the facilities in Wansbeck went ‘live.’ This has hopefully achieved a more ‘fit for purpose’ set up of back–office, plus a simplified structure at point of sale. Reduced costs have also been achieved due to combined support costs and staff knowledge being improved / shared across the organisation. All IT systems/infrastructure were also transferred to a new network (Northnet) which over the year has ensured improved reliability and reduced system downtime. In addition, significant improved levels of service provided by NCC in terms of IT support and response time have been achieved. Investment in software upgrade to our online booking and installation of self service kiosks at Concordia and Blyth Sports Centre are two developments that will be brought online shortly.
Marketing With the return of the company’s marketing manager from long term sick leave a renewed focus on marketing has included:
A revamp of the company’s website Effective use of TV screens for internal promotions and information The launch of BVAL’s Facebook page and Facebook pages for Concordia and Blyth Sports Centre Creation of a library of photographs and video clips for promotional use Partnership working with NCL marketing team An annual program of newspaper advertising Development of consistent standards of design and presentation across all departments
Additional Support Throughout the year the unit has played a supportive role in providing administrative and financial support to a variety of projects and developments including:
Northburn sports and community centre Pegasus Sporting Club Blyth Ashington Leisure Centre Newbiggin Sports and Community Centre Burgham Horse festival Merger talks with North County Leisure
The year ahead The year ahead looks like it will be another challenging year as the company is required to make further budget savings across the organisation but at the same time improve standards and continually provide a better service to the local community.
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Health and Fitness During 2010-11, the Health and Fitness Service has continued to provide innovative services and build on previous successes. In challenging times, the service is working hard to ensure that customers are offered high quality opportunities to take part in a wide range of physical activity options. The service is responsible for the management of health and fitness at the four BVAL sites, Ashington Leisure Centre and Newbiggin Sports and Community Centre. It also has a shared management arrangement for the delivery of health projects with North Country Leisure in other areas of Northumberland. Lifestyle Gyms The gyms at all six sites are now being marketed under the Lifestyle brand. The BVAL sites have all been refurbished within the last four years and currently offer high quality equipment, with the Fitlinx IT system available in three of the four gyms. Ashington Leisure Centre and Newbiggin Sports and Community Centre both have gyms that are approximately seven years old. The equipment is in reasonable condition and work has been undertaken at Ashington to update the Wellness IT system. Due to uncertainty over the future of these centres, there are no current plans for refurbishment. All of the gyms have maintained good levels of usage, with over 164,000 visits recorded across sites during the year. Lifestyle Fitness Class Programme The fitness class programme has continued to perform well in all centres, with numbers increasing at every site. The introduction of Zumba led to a big increase in usage in October 2010 and higher user numbers have been maintained, with more than 85,750 attendances at fitness classes during the year. Sessions are continually monitored to ensure that the programme reflects customer demand.
Lifestyle Membership Scheme The Lifestyle membership scheme offers the opportunity for users to purchase a package allowing unlimited use of fitness facilities at the centres. The memberships are multi site, with cheaper single site options for the smaller sites, which do not have swimming pools. The single site option has been successful in encouraging membership at the smaller sites, particularly at the Sporting Club of Cramlington and Newbiggin Sports and Community Centre. Levels of membership have remained relatively stable in a year where the national picture has been challenging. GP Exercise on Referral Scheme BVAL now manages the GP exercise on referral scheme in Ashington, Blyth, Cramlington, Morpeth and Newbiggin, having taken on the delivery at Ashington and Newbiggin during this financial year. The scheme is commissioned by North of Tyne NHS and continues to go from strength to strength, making a real difference to the lives of many of its participants. There were 1214 referrals to the scheme in these areas during the year against a commissioned target of 1,020 referrals. Participants in exercise on referral and associated exit routes attended more than 34,750 physical activity sessions during the year. Partnership working with North County Leisure Trust means that exercise on referral has become much more standardised across Northumberland (with the exception of Berwick) and the scheme is now being rigorously evaluated as part of PhD study at Northumbria University. Community Based Cardiac Rehabilitation BVAL continues to work in partnership with Northumberland Care Trust to deliver Phase III community cardiac rehabilitation. Phase III is staffed by both a cardiac rehabilitation nurse and fitness staff, and involves twice weekly supervised exercise sessions and 19 | P a g e
weekly education / advice sessions at each venue. Current venues are Blyth Sports Centre, Concordia Leisure Centre, Morpeth Riverside Centre and Ashington Leisure Centre. BVAL also offers Phase IV cardiac rehabilitation in Ashington, Blyth, Cramlington, Morpeth and Newbiggin. These sessions encourage participants to make physical activity a lifelong lifestyle choice. There is also a home-based cardiac rehabilitation service at phase III delivered by BVAL staff. Cardiac Rehabilitation Instructor Training BVAL co-ordinated and delivered a British Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation Exercise Instructor course at Blyth Sports Centre during 2010-2011. Further courses are planned for the coming year. Walking for Wellness After a successful county wide funding bid, the Walking for Wellness Scheme has allowed for further development of the already popular volunteer led walking scheme. The programme is jointly managed by BVAL and North Country Leisure. Groups meet on a weekly basis to take part in local led walks of varying lengths. During 2010-11 the development of groups has been supported in Ashington, Newbiggin, Morpeth and Widdrington. There were over 8,750 attendances on led walks organised by the scheme in South East Northumberland during the year. Coordinators for Walking for Wellness have been working hard to make the walks more accessible to those with mental health issues. An evaluation of the scheme has been undertaken by Leeds Metropolitan University. Funding for the walking programme remains uncertain and work in the coming year will focus on building a business case for future support.
Staff Training The health and fitness service is committed to supporting all contracted members of staff to gain a minimum of a level three fitness qualification. During 2010-11, a further five members of staff completed the advanced fitness instructor qualification meaning that 22 members of staff are now qualified at level three. A further four members of staff are enrolled on this course for the next financial year. 16 members of staff now hold the level three exercise on referral qualification and 12 members of staff hold the level four cardiac rehabilitation qualification. The service has worked extremely hard over the past three years to raise qualification standards and will continue to ensure that staff are offered appropriate opportunities to improve their skills. The Year Ahead 2010-11 has been a challenging year for the Health and Fitness Service. The economic downturn has meant that a great deal of effort has been made in ensuring that levels of usage are maintained. The economic situation is likely to continue to be a major challenge in the coming year, but despite this, the service will continue to concentrate on offering a high quality service and to market this effectively. The interim management of Ashington Leisure Centre and Newbiggin Sports and Community Centre continues to provide a real challenge, with uncertainty around the future of the sites making it difficult to plan developments. The addition of the exercise on referral scheme into the programme at these centres has meant that there are now exciting opportunities to be developed further. Thorough evaluation of services will continue to be a theme in the coming year, with further work being done with the exercise on referral scheme and the walking programme. 20 | P a g e
Arts Development Introduction Arts Development is responsible for projects and programmes that encourage high levels of participation and appreciation of the arts in South East Northumberland. The department is managed by one full time member of staff with responsibility for both strategic and delivery functions. Programmes are funded by Arts Council England, Northumberland County Council and Blyth Valley Arts & Leisure. At a glance during year 2010-11… There were 23 medium to long term arts programmes; An estimated 13,151 people took part or attended, 2873 of which were young people; Overall there were 43 community groups and 11 schools supported; 141 volunteers took part in leading or helping with projects; 68 regional artists/arts organisations were employed to lead and deliver projects; Total financial leverage achieved to maximise the arts development budget was £139k. Good news stories 8 schools (370 pupils) attended 3 free performances of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night by Mad Alice Theatre Company in Ridley Park. Schools also benefited from receiving free education packs. There was further development of the live music in outdoor spaces initiative (Smooth Sundays). This included opportunities for community groups to perform in The Big Busk – a programme in partnership with Making Music where 6 community bands and 1 dance school took part. Plus live music in new spaces including Ashington high street and Bedlington market square as well as
development of the regular programmes in Blyth and Newbiggin bandstands. There were 2 festivals - the Be Inspired Beach Festival which was held on Blyth South beach, bandstand and promenade and Blyth Renewables Festival, held on Blyth quayside. Both festivals were well attended with fun and exciting street entertainment, live music and participatory workshops. Doorstep Pictures mobile cinema programme continues to grow with 10 venues screening film across South East Northumberland including 2 new venues. The partnership with Queens Hall has strengthened the programme with additional funding support from Northern Film and Media.
A look ahead to Year 2011-12 A study has been commissioned to consider the effectiveness of Arts Development in the South East Northumberland area. This study was commissioned by Northumberland County Council and Arts Council England as a continuation of the Venue Study and will be presented in September 2011; A film development worker will be employed (funded by Northern Film and Media) to enable the Doorstep Pictures mobile cinema programme to extend to the North area; A high profile contemporary dance and visual arts commission is planned in partnership with Seaton Delaval Hall and The National Trust with funding support from Communities 4 Health (Barefoot@ Seaton Delaval Hall will take place in May 2011); The second year of Blyth Renewables Festival, planned in partnership with Port of Blyth and Northumberland County Council, will take place in June and held on Blyth quayside; A full time apprentice will be taken on for one year to increase the capacity of the 21 | P a g e
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department. This is part of the Creative Apprenticeship scheme with Gateshead College and The Sage and links with the strategy to keep young arts professionals working in Northumberland; A part time worker will be employed to work with NEET groups to engage in the Arts Award accredited scheme.
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