Workout Weekly March 31

WEEKLY

Issue 134 - 31 March 2023

YOUR REGULAR ONLINE UPDATE FOR THE UK FITNESS SCENE

Team raise more than £500 for Comic Relief

– page 3

Major boost to energy efficiency at leisure centre–page 4

Exercise used to manage mental health conditions

A NORTH Tyneside charity is encouraging residents to look after their mental health through exercise.

Tyneside and Northumberland Mind’s 12-week programme supports people to improve their physical and mental health and to manage their conditions through gym sessions.

The charity provides members with individual assessments and workout plans which can include co-ordinated sessions with a personal trainer at a local gym where they’ll become members. By supporting customers with their confidence in the gym, it looks to create a long-term change in people’s lives by providing a place where they can go to focus on their wellness.

Lesley Booth (pictured), a North Tyneside resident, has been taking part in the programme and now enjoys her visits to the local gym.

She said: “I think the programme is a great idea, it’s for people who, like me, may have dealt with issues and want support.

“It’s good to have the encouragement and support to get out and do something and be alongside likeminded people. We get lots of other support too.”

Alongside the gym membership and classes, those on the course are offered access to specialist seminars where they’re helped with subjects to aid

mental wellness including nutrition and sleep.

Once the three-month personal training is over, customers can continue on at the gym for a further six months to help it become a routine. At the end of the six months, there’s opportunities to continue to exercise.

Andrew Thorp, wellbeing coach for Tyneside and Northumberland Mind, is coordinating the programme.

“Since we started the programme, we’ve had five groups of members take part and they’ve all overcome personal barriers,” he added.

“I’ve seen how much members enjoy the gym sessions. They’ve told me how it’s made a positive impact to their lives,

in how their physical health and crucially how they feel emotionally.”

Tyneside and Northumberland Mind have the opportunity to support four people through their level two gym qualifications, they promote access to local wellness groups and they can support people by further renewing their gym membership.

The programme was made possible thanks to almost £30,000 funding from the Health Inequalities Fund which is hosted by VODA and funded by North Tyneside Council and the NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board. Since receiving the funding in June 2022 the charity has supported a variety of residents.

Councillor Karen Clark, cabinet member for health and wellbeing at North Tyneside Council, said: “It’s well known that exercising can be really beneficial for our mental health and it’s fantastic to be able to support a vital charity like Tyneside Mind to support residents to get into the gym and see the positive results it can have.

“Sometimes just getting to the gym can be really nerve racking, so to be able to fund and support people to become comfortable in the setting and to help them on their journey is brilliant. The feedback from those on the programme shows just how great it is.

“The health inequalities fund is all about reaching people in our communities and helping them to improve their health and this project is doing just that.”

The Health Inequalities Fund, developed by the members of the Better Together group, awarded grants of between £10,000 and £30,000 to 14 voluntary, community and social enterprise sector organisations last summer.

All funded activities focus on delivering outcomes relating to the key themes of the recently published Equally Well strategy for North Tyneside – ‘Equal life chances for all’, ‘Thriving places and communities’ and ‘Maintaining independence’.

Team raise more than £500 for Comic Relief

A TEAM of super-fit fundraisers sprinted their way around the whole of Stockport to raise money for Comic Relief.

The Forrest Gump inspired challenge organised by staff at Life Leisure saw 10 participants run or cycle 19.5 miles around the town, visiting eight Life Leisure centres along the way.

And with spin challenges, sponsored leg waxing and bakeoffs taking place in the centres, fundraisers have so far collected around £500 for the charity, with more donations expected.

John Oxley, CEO of Life Leisure, said: “Comic Relief is a fantastic and worthwhile charity that aligns with so many of our values at Life Leisure, so each year we look forward to doing something to support them.

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“It’s been a fantastic day.

“The run and cycle around all our centres was a great way to reach so many of our neighbourhoods, and it proved a really useful way to encourage lots of people to get

involved and be physically active – they could take part in the whole thing or just challenge themselves to do a section.

“Most importantly, there was energy and good humour as well as some

impressive outfits – we’re terrifically proud of everyone who took part and supported us.”

Hannah Bowler, active communities children and young people’s manager at Life Leisure, organised the fundraiser with head of health and fitness Daniel Barker.

She added: “We’ve had a brilliant day and we’re so happy to have raised more than £500 for the cause –with hopefully more to come.

“We’d like to thank everyone who took part and made this such a fantastic event.”

Participants kicked off their journey from Life Leisure’s Houldsworth Centre at 9am, taking in Brinnington, Stockport Sports Village, Romiley, Hazel Grove, Cheadle, Avondale and Grand Central before returning to Houldsworth by early afternoon.

Everyone Active get ready to take over facilities

EVERYONE Active will soon begin a new leisure contract with Stevenage Borough Council for the next 10 years, with the new agreement commencing on April 1.

Everyone Active will manage Stevenage Swimming Centre, Stevenage Arts and Leisure Centre including Gordon Craig Theatre, Fairlands Valley Aqua Park, Southfield Showground, Ridlins Athletics Stadium and Stevenage Golf Conference Centre.

Mark Leahy, regional contract manager at Everyone Active, said: “We’re very eager to get going on managing a variety of new facilities, including the theatre – the contract is a fantastic addition to our portfolio.

“It’s an exciting prospect for the entire team in Stevenage and we’re keen to deliver an outstanding

experience for the local community to enjoy at both our leisure centres and theatre.”

The partnership will allow Everyone Active to build on the current leisure and arts development offering in the local area.

Improvements include a refurbishment and new equipment in the gym at Stevenage Arts and Leisure Centre and upgrades to the Changing Village (lockers, showers, toilets) at Stevenage Swimming Pool.

In addition, energy investments through the installation of LED lighting will be prioritised.

These projects aim to support the council’s vision for leisure across Stevenage by providing attractive facilities available to the whole community and contributing fully to the health and wellbeing objectives

of the council.

Everyone Active will look to enhance and develop existing programmes, further supporting the work already being delivered in Stevenage. In addition, as part of the operator’s Community Health and Wellbeing Strategy, initiatives will be introduced such as free memberships for people living with Parkinson’s and cared for children.

Leader of the council, Councillor Richard Henry said: “Leisure, sport and culture are really important for the health and wellbeing of our residents.

“We’re looking forward to Everyone Active taking over the running of our leisure programme and facilities as well as providing a wide range of new innovative sports and amenities for people to use and take part in.”

The team, made up of Matt Dean, Daniel Barker, Gaston Johnson, Ian Dixon, Charlene Murphy, Sarah Potter, Anita Wheeler, Hannah Bowler, Ian Shackcloth and Ross McGuigan, are greeted by Charlene Murphy, Grand Central general manager during their round trip of Stockport.

Report reveals what disabled people want from fitness and leisure sector

UKACTIVE has released its latest consumer report as part of Everyone Can, which is designed to improve inclusion in the fitness and leisure sector, providing insight based on the sector’s most comprehensive survey of disabled people to date.

One in five people in the UK are disabled, and 81 per cent of disabled adults have indicated that they want to do more physical activity.

The Everyone Can report provides an opportunity to improve millions of lives.  It also supports gyms and leisure centres with a huge commercial opportunity, as the economic value of the ‘purple pound’ is £249bn per year.

Huw Edwards, CEO of ukactive, said: “It is vital that we listen to the voices of disabled people and that is why this report has the potential to transform inclusion in the fitness and leisure sector.

“By really considering the modern-day needs and following the great examples across the sector, our members can help millions more disabled people across the UK to be active in the way they choose.

“Not only that, but we can open up pathways for disabled people to get into employment in the fitness and leisure sector, and all of this will help to grow the sector and our opportunities to support the health of the nation.”  ukactive commissioned a consumer poll with Savanta which asked more than 1,500 disabled people about their experiences of gyms, swimming pools, fitness and leisure centres.

The survey forms the latest evidence presented in a wide-ranging report which brings together ukactive’s research on the issue, including focus groups and consumer consultations. The report tackles themes of representation, perceptions, customer

service, and accessibility, while drawing on best practise case studies, including the Swimming Teachers’ Association, The Gym Group and Sport for Confidence, to offer practical solutions.

The polling identified a number of concerns and key influencing factors for disabled people to access fitness and leisure facilities, as well as finding differing views between those that already use facilities and those that do not.

Key findings and recommendations:

n 50 per cent of gym users agreed ‘most centres provide a good range of equipment that I can use’, while only 28 per cent of non-users agreed. Communication should be utilised in the digital space to improve accessibility and combat perceived barriers, including online virtual tours.

n One-in-five respondents said that staff offering assistance or practical support would encourage them to attend the facility more often. The report recommends taster sessions and regular

check-ins following inductions.

n 35 per cent feel too self-conscious to ask for extra information and support from gym, fitness and leisure centre staff.

Customer service should be a focus, offering support which extends from initial induction.

n A fifth of survey respondents either feel worried they would be the only one with a disability or feel they did not see many other individuals with a disability in the facility. Everyone Can recommends improved representation in marketing imagery and the workforce.

Everyone Can is an ongoing agenda led by ukactive and supported by Sport England to set a collaborative tone for inclusivity and accessibility across the sector – and has already involved more than 40 leading organisations and a cross-sector Everyone Can Task Force to lead the work.

The agenda seeks to raise awareness of disability inclusion and support gyms, and fitness and leisure facilities to make continuous improvements to the provision of services for disabled people, so that the benefits of physical activity can be realised by all.

The report follows the publication of the Health and Disability White Paper, announced by the Chancellor in the Budget, that sets out the ambition for more disabled people, and people with health conditions, to live more independent and fulfilling lives.

As well as supporting more of the general population to access physical activity with confidence, the sector has a vital role in helping many disabled people to manage long-term health conditions and also provides prehabilitation and rehabilitation services which help ease the pressure on the NHS.

Major boost to energy efficiency at leisure centre

CARBON emissions at Kingsmead

Leisure Centre are set to be reduced following a successful city council bid for £644,000 from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.

The funding, provided by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and delivered by Salix Finance, will be used to improve the efficiency of the heating, lighting and ventilation systems at the site as part of the wider refurbishment project to upgrade the leisure centre facilities.

The PSDS project involves the replacement of a large gas boiler with low-carbon heating for the new wet change area using underfloor heating, and new hot water and warm air systems, all using high-efficiency air source heat pumps.

It also includes the installation of energy efficiency measures such as mechanical ventilation heat recovery units, high-efficiency LED lighting and a solar photovoltaic system.

In total, the leisure centre is set to make annual energy savings of 13,098 kWh through the project.

The work will be carried out at the same time as the refurbishment of the leisure centre to help minimise disruption to the operation of the centre and ensure efficient use of

project resources.

Canterbury City Council’s director of strategy and improvement, Peter Davies, said: “We are really pleased to have secured such a large grant from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, which

will allow us to significantly reduce emissions at Kingsmead.

“By their very nature, leisure centres are energy intensive buildings and we have been conscious of the need to put in place measures to lessen the impact of Kingsmead

on the environment. The grant will enable us to do a huge amount using some of the latest energy efficiency technology.

“And with this work happening alongside the exciting refurbishment of the leisure centre, we will have a facility that will provide a high quality service to our residents for many years to come.”

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero initiative provides grants for public sector bodies to fund heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures, with the aim of reducing emissions from public sector buildings by 75 per cent by 2037. It is managed by the delivery body Salix Finance.

Rafael Holder, programme coordinator at Salix Finance, added: “We are delighted to work with Canterbury City Council and look forward to seeing the progress at Kingsmead Leisure Centre as it reduces its carbon emissions in this well used public building.

“Salix is delighted to be undergoing this net zero journey with the council. Congratulations to Canterbury City Council as it seeks to reduce its carbon footprint through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.”

Operator gets go ahead on £9m Community Health Hub

WORK is set to get underway on a new community hub in a Nottinghamshire town after the district council approved plans and secured significant funding for its Health Hub project.

The Warsop Health Hub, based at Carr Lane Park, Mansfield, has received £3m from the Government’s Towns Fund and a £1.8m capital grant from Sport England to kick-start the project.

The new Hub will be delivered by leisure development specialist Alliance Leisure, in partnership with Abacus as project manager and principal designer, architects Roberts Limbrick and contractor Pellikaan Construction.

The UK Leisure Framework, which is managed by Denbighshire Leisure, has been used as the procurement route for sourcing the development team.

Once complete in October 2024, facilities will include a 15m x 8m swimming pool with a splash play area for younger children, a gym featuring the latest cardiovascular and resistance equipment, a two-court sports hall and an improved multi-use games area.

The facility will also offer a café with a viewing of the swimming pool, reception area and community facilities, including multi-purpose spaces and an IT suite.

Julia Goddard, senior business development manager at Alliance Leisure, said: “We have brought together a team of expert partners to deliver what will be a first-class facility for the local community.

“We’ve been involved from the very start in scoping the project and we’re looking forward to seeing the project

develop as we head into construction and beyond.”

The plan for the Health Hub follows detailed research commissioned by the district council in 2019 into the leisure and community provision in the parish of Warsop.

This work was supported by Vibrant Warsop, Warsop Parish Council and Active Notts, community groups, members of the local community, and partner organisations who were all asked for their views at consultation events and in a community-wide survey.

Lisa Dodd-Mayne, executive director, place at Sport England, added: “Sport England’s Uniting the Movement strategy aims to provide opportunities for all people to access sport and physical activity, regardless

of their backgrounds, bank balance or postcodes.

“Accessible, flexible and inclusive local facilities that enable people to play sport and get active are vital for our communities to lead happy and healthy lives.

“The Warsop Health Hub is one of the first facilities to use our new Leisure Local concept and the site will work towards the vision set out in our recent ‘Future of Public Leisure’ report.

“The opportunities to get active that will be made possible by the development of the Hub are exciting to see and will benefit the community for years to come.”

Ground works for the Warsop Health Hub are anticipated to begin in summer 2023.

Morpeth’s new sports and leisure centre opening date revealed

EXCITEMENT is building in and around Morpeth as the town’s new flagship sport and leisure centre prepares to open its doors to the public at midday on April 3.

The £21million facility, funded by Northumberland County Council and operated and managed by Active Northumberland, will provide stateof-the- art facilities and a whole new customer experience for all ages of the local community.

Mark Warnes, chief executive of Active Northumberland, said: “We are looking forward to welcoming new members and customers to the new centre for the very first time, and our friendly and experienced leisure team who work with people of all ages will be ready to help and support you and to help you achieve your own personal fitness or wellness goals.”

In just a matter of days residents will be able to enjoy the new facilities which feature a six-lane swimming pool with spectator gallery, a learner pool and a four-court sports hall.

There is also a new state-of-the-art gym and fitness area and three fitness studios.

One will be a dedicated spinning studio with Technogym bikes while the other two will be used for fitness classes, yoga and Pilates.

For those wanting a bit of rest and relaxation there is a new spa facility which includes a sauna, steam room, salt room, experience showers and spa pool.

There is also a new HIVE cafe selling food and drinks as well as a soft-play area for younger children.

The centre will also incorporate the town’s library, a council customer service centre and Northumberland Skills’ new learning facility for school leavers and adults to support post-16 education and

employment opportunities.

These services will be managed by Northumberland County Council.

Northumberland county councillor Jeff Watson, cabinet member for healthy lives, added: “This is a really exciting time for the town and what I would like to say to the residents of Morpeth and beyond is that it is your centre so please try and use it if you can.

“Whatever your age, the new centre offers something for everyone with lots

of opportunities for fun, for fitness and relaxation.

“The completion of this centre is the culmination of an ambitious £65million countywide investment programme by this council to upgrade and transform sport and leisure facilities across Northumberland.

“This has included major investment to refurbish and revitalise sports centres in Hexham, Newbiggin and Blyth and build new leisure centres for Ponteland, Berwick and Morpeth.”

Residents can pay-as-they-go when they visit the centre, but can also become an Active member.

There are a range of memberships on offer which work out cheaper for regular users and have many additional benefits.

Members are entitled to unlimited access to all Active Northumberland gyms, fitness classes and swimming pools, expert one-on-one support and guidance through the specially tailored programme Elevate, for your personal fitness journey.

Members can also receive a free health check and access to advance bookings on classes.

The new centre has been designed by GT3 Architect and Willmott Dixon Ltd was the official contractor. Advance Northumberland has overseen the project management.