Interview: Mark Braithwaite

Mark Braithwaite has spent more than 20 years in physical activity, working in both the private and public sectors. His career has included stints at Cannons Health Clubs, Nuffield Health and Fusion Lifestyle. He joined management company 1Life – which operates 19 leisure facilities on behalf of local authorities – in 2014 and was named MD in 2018

MARK BRAITHWAITE

You have a strong background in both the private and public sectors. How different are the two sectors?

They are very different. The private sector has a lot more autonomy to make decisions and can be more agile when responding to social, economic or political changes. The public sector is generally more inclusive but, in most cases, operators are restricted to tight contractual terms which can create bureaucracy around decision making.

What are the biggest lessons the two sectors could learn from each other?

The programming and inclusivity of the public sector is hugely beneficial to the wider population and ensures everyone across the country can access physical activity whether in a physical site or outside of a site. Public leisure providers generally tend to work better with health & sport bodies, trusts & clinical commissioning groups.

On the other hand, as the private sector is more agile and less constrained from a contractual and pricing perspective, it generally tends to be more innovative and quicker to respond to changing trends and market conditions.

What does 1Life do?

1Life is a lifestyle and management solutions company that engages with people in local communities to enhance lives through health and wellbeing, physical activity, learning and the arts. We manage 19 venues nationwide – from leisure centres, swimming pools and golf courses to theatres – on behalf of local authorities and service around

1Life manages 19 venues on behalf of local authorities across the UK

ALL PHOTOS: © 1LIFE

1Life services around 7 million customers across its portfolio of managed sites each year

We’ve launched a number of initiatives to support people of all ages to get active

7 million customer visits per year. We employ more than 800 people and have adopted a collaborative approach, focused on creating tailored solutions to help our local authorities tailored solutions to help our local authorities achieve local outcomes and deliver results.

We’ve launched a number of initiatives to support people of all ages to get active. Working alongside Max Whitlock OBE and Tom Dean MBE we’re giving a number of ‘Aspiring Athletes’ the opportunity to train at our unrivalled facilities for free in a bid to support their dreams of a career in elite sport.

The chosen athletes also had a session with Max and Tom in October, where they took part in an open discussion about life at the top and took photos with the pair.

At 1Life, we fully recognise that not everyone wants a career in elite sport – and that, sadly, most people won’t ever join a gym. However, a healthy lifestyle is important for everyone and that’s what we are focusing on.

The company is working together with Olympians Max Whitlock and Tom Dean

There’s been a lot of talk of “in-sourcing” recently – partly thanks to the pandemic. What are your views on that?

I can understand why many councils have made the decision to in-source, especially given that during Covid-19, many operators leaned on local authorities for financial support. However, many local authorities don’t have the expertise, experience, people,

Initiatives to activate those who would benefit the most from exercise is a core 1Life aim

or systems to ensure long-term viability. While some may be able to establish a solid business model, in some instances this decision has been made rashly and my view is that in a few years’ time, will be looking at moving back to an out-sourced model.

What do you see as the biggest challenges faced by the physical activity sector in general?

There are two things, right now it is the hugely inflated cost of utilities causing many leisure facilities to potentially close or reduce services. The longer-term issue facing the physical activity sector is the fact that health and physical activity is not a statutory service, therefore easy for council’s and the government to cut back on spending. After the lockdowns ended, gym and leisure centres were some of the last venues to open after pubs and restaurants, despite their being no evidence to support the decision.

If you could be PM for one day, what new law would you bring in to help people get more active more often?

I would make physical activity and exercise a statutory service, alongside other core services such as education and health. ●

SWOT test

Mark Braithwaite

What are the the physical activity sectors biggest:

● Strengths

Accessibility for people from all walks of life

● Weaknesses

Inconsistency of service and standards across the country

● Opportunities

Huge opportunities to work more collaboratively with public health, clinical commissioning groups and the NHS to make physical activity pathways more accessible and joined up

● Threats

Low-cost operators or budget gyms making the cost of running local authority centres unviable

1Life provides activities for all ages and abilities at its centres