Workout Weekly June 23

WEEKLY

Issue 142 - 23 June 2023

YOUR REGULAR ONLINE UPDATE FOR THE UK FITNESS SCENE

Operator continues sustainability drive with launch of reusable cup initiative – page 3

Best cities for fitness enthusiasts revealed – page 5

Operator continues sustainability drive with launch of reusable cup initiative

PARKWOOD Leisure is launching a new initiative to reduce the use of single-use cups at 60+ facilities across England and Wales.

From July 1, customers will be encouraged to use reusable cups at all sites, which includes leisure centres, theatres, golf courses and outdoor activity centres.

Reusable cups will also be available to purchase at each facility, with customers receiving a complimentary hot drink with each purchase.

A surcharge will apply on all single-use cups.

All staff will also be receiving complimentary reusable cups to encourage them to support the initiative.

According to the University of Kent, 2.5 billion coffee cups are used and discarded annually in the UK. Of these, only 0.25 per cent – less than one in 400 – are recycled.

Parkwood Leisure currently purchases 750,000 disposable cups per year, and the new initiative aims to reduce this number by half by the end of 2023.

Alex Godfrey, operations director at Parkwood Leisure, said: “As one of the UK’s leading leisure operators, one of our primary objectives is to reduce the environmental impact of our facilities, while continuing to provide the same great service and access to facilities that

our local communities expect.

“The drive to significantly reduce our disposable cup use is just the latest in a series of sustainability initiatives, and we’ll continue to demonstrate to our customers, partners, and other stakeholders, our commitment to the environment, by promoting environmentally responsible practices and incorporating sustainable principles

into our work.”

This campaign is part of Parkwood Leisure’s ongoing commitment to reduce its carbon footprint across its portfolio of sites.

In the last year alone, the leisure operator has delivered a number of impactful sustainability projects, including:

n In partnership with Torbay Council

and energy consultancy Leisure Energy, Parkwood Leisure won the Energy Efficient Partnership of the Year award at the Energy Awards 2022. The project helped to reduce annual carbon emissions at Torbay Leisure Centre by 60 per cent.

n The opening of Bingham Arena Leisure Centre, a new £13.1million facility that uses air source heat pumps, combined heat and power technology, water efficiency measures, LED lighting and energy efficient building materials to achieve a 78 per cent reduction in carbon emissions compared to other leisure centres in the borough.

n Legacy Leisure, part of Parkwood Leisure, partnered with the Vale of Glamorgan Council to secure funding to replace boilers at Llantwit and Cowbridge Leisure Centres, which will help to reduce energy consumption at the centres and lower each facility’s carbon footprint.

n Legacy Leisure was also successful in supporting Cherwell District Council’s leisure centres – Spiceball, Bicester, Woodgreen and Kidlington & Gosford – secure funding from the UK government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. The funding was used to deliver sustainability projects at the four sites, managed by Parkwood Project Management.

Motion passed in relation to Uckfield Leisure Centre

WEALDEN District Council has passed a motion to explore the possibility of keeping Uckfield Leisure Centre open.

At a meeting of the Full Council recently, a motion proposed by newly elected Councillor Ben Reed and seconded by Councillor Spike Mayhew was approved by fellow councillors.

The motion called on the council leader and chief executive to explore every possibility to keep the Uckfield Leisure Centre, including swimming pool open while alternative options are investigated and that all relevant parties are invited by Wealden to meet and resolve to explore every

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option to save the provision of leisure centre and pool services.

The motion also asked the leader and chief executive to consider including the continuance of a pool and dry-side facilities in Uckfield as one of the council’s priorities.

Ben said: “During our recent elections many Wealden residents became aware that ESCC is consulting about the Uckfield swimming pool and sport facilities.

“The community is campaigning to save these services alongside residents and other groups in and around Uckfield.

“I would like to thank council officers and elected members

who have worked together on this important motion together.

“The support received this early on is really welcoming and exactly what we need to make changes.

“Wealden residents voted for change and better solutions, and I hope that we can work as a team to secure facilities for Uckfield.”

Following a comprehensive leisure provision review, in October 2020, Wealden agreed to hand back the dual use leisure centre in Uckfield to East Sussex County Council at the end of its lease, in large part to remove a layer of bureaucracy in the operation of the centre that is run to serve the school to which it is

attached.

Following the uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, to assist with an orderly transition back to ESCC, the lease was extended at Uckfield for a further year.

A public consultation by ESCC went live in March and closed on May 27. ESCC is continuing to look at the options for the site post July 2023. Spike added: “Our priorities should be to maintain and fix the facilities we have before we look at building new complexes.

“The motion is to explore and keep the leisure centre open, if it closes now, it will not reopen and that’s what we need to protect.”

Reef Leisure Centre shortlisted for an award

THE Reef Leisure Centre has been shortlisted for an RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence 2023 in Excellence in Planning for Health and Wellbeing –East of England.

The RTPI East of England Awards for Planning Excellence 2023 showcase and celebrate the region’s best plans, people and projects.

This award recognises and highlights the positive contribution planning professionals make to the communities they serve.

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Martyn Fulcher, director for place and climate change at North Norfolk District Council, said: “Being nominated for this award bears testament to the fantastic work of the Council in delivering this tremendous facility for our community.

“We are delighted to be nominated and it is highly pleasing to have the efforts of all concerned recognised.

North Norfolk is rightly proud of ‘The Reef’ and receiving a nomination for this prestigious award is a real honour.”

The Reef was designed by Saunders Boston Architects and opened its doors to the public on November 30, 2021, marking the completion of a flagship project for North Norfolk District

Council.

The Reef represents a £12million investment in health and wellbeing in North Norfolk.

The winners of the regional awards will be entered into the national shortlist and judged by the national judges, with a ceremony in November.

How the leisure industry is learning from Netflix to edge towards pre-Covid levels

By Phil Davies

IT COULD be claimed that the fitness industry has long been at the forefront of technological innovation, with the latest gadgets promising to revolutionise the way we approach health and fitness.

From wearable technology to advanced fitness apps, it’s clear that technology is trying to change the game in many ways.

However, while these advancements have certainly helped people achieve their fitness goals more efficiently, there is one area where technology seems to be falling short.

According to a recent report by UK Active and Sport England, 85 per cent of leisure management operators report feeling limited by the leisure management system they currently use.

Clearly software is falling short when it comes to aiding businesses in their digital transformation journey and providers need to do better. How should they begin to tackle this though?

Perhaps it’s time for the industry to start looking outside of their comfort zones to other sectors which have already experienced the pain of digital transformation, to companies like Netflix and Amazon.

How, you might wonder though, can the fitness industry learn from a company like Netflix, which uses technology to try to keep us glued to a screen?

Or from Amazon for that matter, which uses technology to remove the money from our pockets as efficiently and quickly as possible. Well, let’s take Netflix as an example.

Through necessity, Netflix was, and is, a pioneer in auto-scaling applications. When the world gets home from work and decides it’s time to watch the latest episode of Stranger Things, their platform must adapt quickly to this sudden spike in demand.

Phil Davies

A senior director at Gladstone Software once told me: “Hope is not a strategy.”

While he was referring to financial forecasting, his words hold true for technology as well.

load.

It’s not just how these big hitters utilise technology we can learn from though.

The fitness and leisure industry is no different to this in that it experience noticeable spikes in usage. They might come at a different frequency but those spikes will inevitably arrive.

When the new year dawns, for example, and the guilt-ridden masses head in force to the gym, or their local gym’s latest membership offer strikes the right tone and coaxes an unexpected number of new members through the door, tried and trusted legacy software’s might just land gym owner’s in trouble.

There are two potential situations here. Either there is unused capacity sitting there waiting for such events, or there isn’t and systems will begin to creak.

Usually, it’s the latter and there is not much that can be done about it. If the software is running from a server sitting in a room at the back of a facility or, God forbid, on a PC sitting under the counter in reception, then there is no way it can respond.

This is why companies like Netflix invested heavily in auto-scaling technology.

Frameworks such as Kubernetes were created to harness the flexibility of the cloud, to scale an application up when it needs to and then back down again when the load has passed.

Pick an LMS which uses tech such as this and not only will your customers appreciate the uninterrupted service but you’re not going to be paying for all that capacity when you don’t need it.

Without utilising an auto-scaling technology such as Kubernetes, a business is adopting a “fly-by-theseat-of-your-pants” approach to seasonal demand. It’s just hoping it has enough capacity to cope when things get busy.

Digital transformation is starting to happen, of course. It is inevitable. Phrases like containerised applications and microservices architecture are becoming more common when we talk about the next generation of LMS applications and such things can provide real value to business operating in the leisure sector. Again, these are technologies pushed forward by big hitters such as Netflix, Google and Amazon, but what are they and what can the leisure industry learn from them?

A microservices architecture, for example, effectively breaks down software into small elements and boxes these services up in neat little independent bundles.

This provides several benefits. Firstly, if one part of the application is having a problem, those issues will be isolated, and a problem with one part of the LMS won’t bring the whole application to its knees.

Secondly, when trying to fix a bug in some software, most of a developer’s time is spent finding it. If the application is broken down into small pieces like this, bugs become much easier and faster to find.

The fact that everything is in its own little isolated container helps ring fence where things scale too. For example, if the bookings microservices are busy but the new member ones aren’t, then why scale the whole application? You can just scale the part of it which is under

There are cultural paradigms at work in companies like Netflix which we should adopt too. They put failure at the heart of what they do.

Everything they build is built knowing that it will, at some point, fail. Developers know this because someone else in business is going make it fail.

Enter the Chaos Monkey. This is a piece of software which goes around randomly terminating processes in their production environment. Yes, you read that correctly.

They deliberately cause chaos in their production environment. Why would they do such a thing? Well, if developers know that at some point their code is definitely going to fail then they are forced to build software which is resilient to such random acts of naughtiness.

There is rich stuff at work in these other businesses, both technically and culturally which we as an industry can appropriate.

We must learn from those who have already made this journey and unleash the chaos monkey.

We should acknowledge that these digital behemoths do not get everything right though.

A recent article by Fast Company highlighted the shortcomings in the user interface design of streaming platforms.

While modern consumer-facing applications in the fitness industry seek to streamline user experience, cutting away much of the nonsense, increasingly these platforms are making their customers jump through hoops to find what they are looking for, so perhaps there is something Netflix and Amazon can learn from us too.

n Phil Davies is the chief technical officer at Gladstone Ltd.

Kerry joins Myzone as new chief marketing officer

MYZONE has welcomed ex-Nike brand leader and former international hockey player Kerry Williams to the team as its new chief marketing officer with immediate effect.

Having just returned to work following the birth of her second girl, Kerry has joined Myzone to drive its next stage of growth and development around the world.

The wealth of Kerry’s sporting experience has seen her earn World Cup, Commonwealth Games and European Championship medal wins from a 96-cap England and GB international sporting career.

During her 12 years with Nike, Kerry embraced leadership and growth through roles including training brand director, head of brand events and global football brand manager.

No stranger to start-up and scale opportunities, Kerry’s also consulted across businesses such as Marchon, WIT, ATHX, Studio 6, the Training Club and Herd Brands.

“We searched for a rockstar CMO and we have certainly found one,” said Dave Wright, CEO of Myzone.

“Kerry’s experience and approach fits perfectly with the team, and is exactly what we need for the future.

“Throughout the exhaustive process,

where every applicant for the position was to such a high standard, she’s exceeded expectations and risen above.

“We are so excited to have Kerry on board to help transform the Myzone brand to be better able to communicate the fabulous benefits of physical activity,

heart rate training and innovative technology to our wonderful community across 92 different countries.”

A big advocate for equality, diversity and inclusion, Kerry is also the trustee of Badu Sports, a charity using the power of sport to change the lives of underprivileged communities across London, with a passion for getting people moving.

“My career to date has focused around making movement accessible, engaging and inspiring for all,” added Kerry.

“Myzone provides connected fitness solutions, wearable technology and supportive communities to achieve just that, helping people all around the world to move, whether they’re just getting started, trying to reach a health and wellness goal or hitting peak performance.

“Promoting movement based on personal effort is the unlock to a healthy happier world, and I am beyond excited to ensure this belief is felt across every marketing touchpoint.

Kerry Williams

Pulse supports Neurokinex to enhance spinal cord injury rehab programme

PULSE Fitness has donated two Concept2 rowing machines to Neurokinex, a specialist activity-based neurorehabilitation charity, to provide vital support in the ongoing recovery of its clients.

Neurokinex is a specialist organisation with sites at Bristol, Gatwick and Hemel Hempstead. Each of the specially equipped centres helps to enhance the lives of adults and children living with partial or complete paralysis.

As a not-for-profit organisation, Neurokinex relies heavily on donations, grants and funding programmes to safeguard its rehab programmes.

This donation from Pulse Fitness will enhance its life-changing therapies for clients.

“Over the last four decades we have had the pleasure of installing and providing fitness equipment to a multitude of gyms, facilities and operators; seeing first-hand the positive benefits that movement and exercise can bring,” said Chris Johnson, managing director of Pulse Fitness.

“So, it is a real honour to be working with Neurokinex who use the power of movement to create life-changing impacts each and every day.

“It has been great to see how the rowing machines are being incorporated into the training of different clients and how just one piece of kit can be used in so many different ways.

“We hope the donation continues to help clients at each of the centres progress in their individual rehabilitation journeys and we look forward to working with Neurokinex again in the near future.”

The donated Concept2 rowing machines, worth more than £1,000 each, have been specially adapted to support the broad range of client abilities present at Neurokinex.

The machines are involved in the dayto-day training of Neurokinex clients, and dependent on the client’s goals and capabilities, trainers can adapt how the client uses the machine to attain the best outcomes.

The rowers are particularly beneficial for targeting global strength improvements of the core, upper and lower extremities and increasing cardiovascular fitness, which is vital to reduce the risk of co-morbidites associated with spinal cord injury.

“We are hugely grateful to Pulse Fitness for its generosity in giving us two Concept2 rowing machines,” added Harvey Sihota, Neurokinex CEO and founder.

“We have been hoping to add rowing to our programmes for a while and within days of the rowers arriving, our trainers were busy adapting exercises to suit a range of clients.

“This is certainly a very versatile piece of kit and our clients will benefit greatly from this new way of exercising to build strength, improve core stability and raise their heart rate.”

The machines will also play a key role in this year’s Step Up Challenge – the Neurokinex annual event that raises vital

funds to keep its Step-Up Scheme open. An initiative that provides a lifechanging set of six free rehab sessions to adults and children with a new spinal cord injury, the Step Up Scheme provides a lifeline for newly injured people wanting to access the Neurokinex facilities and expertise. It costs Neurokinex £420 per person to provide the Scheme and without donations it cannot continue.

This year’s Step Up Challenge will see the Neurokinex community kayak or row as far as they can go.

Neurokinex trainer Laurence Green will attempt to kayak 250km in a week, while clients and trainers will aim to match his distance on the new Concept2 rowers.

Best cities for fitness enthusiasts revealed

DURHAM and Salford have been named the best cities in the UK for fitness enthusiasts, according to new research.

Sports nutrition experts at Bulk. com analysed eight factors they felt contribute to a city being attractive to fitness fanatics and scored the 62 most populated UK cities out of 100 to create their Fitness Index.

The factors analysed within the index included the number of gyms, healthy restaurants according to TripAdvisor, pools, CrossFit facilities, as well as hiking, jogging, road cycling and mountain bike routes relative to the population size of each city.

Durham and Salford tied as the best cities for fitness enthusiasts, with a Fitness Index Score of 89.68 out of 100 across the eight examined factors. Durham was found to offer the highest number of gyms at 69 per 100,000 residents, as well as the highest number of road cycling routes (897), jogging routes (635) and hiking routes (684) per capita.

It also has the second-highest number of CrossFit facilities relative to its population, with four per 100,000 residents and the thirdhighest number of healthy restaurants per capita, with 35 per 100,000 residents.

Salford on the other hand boasts

137 healthy restaurants and five CrossFit facilities per 100,000 residents, the highest proportion relative to its population, out of any major UK city. Salford also has the second-highest number of gyms per capita, with 56 per 100,000 residents.

A spokesperson for Bulk.com said: “This data offers a fascinating insight into the UK cities that boast the highest number of amenities suited to a healthy lifestyle.

“It may come as a surprise that Durham and Salford are tied for first

place, especially due to both cities’ relatively small size. However, closer examination reveals that these cities offer a wealth of options for fitness enthusiasts when compared to their population size.

“Durham, for instance, is a city that encourages movement, with a significant number of road cycling routes, jogging and hiking trails, and gyms. Meanwhile, Salford stands out for its abundance of healthy food options and abundance of gyms.

“It is important to note that many

factors contribute to overall fitness, but having access to a variety of fitness facilities is undoubtedly a great starting point for anyone looking to embark on a fitness journey.

“Taking advantage of the resources available in your city, will enable you to take meaningful steps towards achieving your health and wellness goals.”

Scoring 81.49 out of 100, Bath ranked as the second best UK city for fitness enthusiasts. It was found to offer 582 hiking routes and 46 healthy restaurants per 100,000 residents, the second-highest figure of all UK cities for both of these factors.

Bath also offers 584 road cycling routes, 98 mountain biking routes, and 476 jogging routes per 100,000 residents, the third-highest city for all three aforementioned factors.

The 10 best UK cities for fitness enthusiasts:

1.= Durham 89.68

1.= Salford 89.68

2. Bath 81.49

3. Cambridge 76.99

4. Bristol 71.56

5. Lincoln 69.91

6. Manchester 68.99

7. Nottingham 68.13

8. Hereford 68.05

9. Preston 67.92

10. Exeter 67.86