Interest December 2022 - Trafford Leisure Staff Newsletter

CHIEF EXECUTIVE JO CHERRETT

Dear All,

Another year of challenges, changes and fantastic achievements by the Trafford Leisure Team and well done to everyone who has contributed to this final newsletter addition whilst busy with the day job and getting ready for Christmas. It’s been a busy few months and there is still quite a lot to do before the end of December. It’s full steam ahead with closing Altrincham Leisure Centre on the 23rd of December with the planning applications granted at the Planning and Development Management Committee last Thursday evening. It’s a milestone that has been a long time coming, and like me I know you can’t wait to see this tired centre brought back to life.

The team at Altrincham have done an amazing job over these last few years, it’s not easy to work in a building that seems to make work difficult at times. The team approach to the Altrincham Transition Plan means that when we do close the doors on Friday at 12noon, we retain so much of our customer base during this interim closure. It is with a heavy heart that despite best efforts we have not been able to find an alternative venue for our gymnastics and trampolining, but with those gymnastic and trampoline coaches that have decided to stay with us during the closure, I cannot wait to involve you in the development of what the new gymnastic hub will look like.

To the Altrincham staff that are free to pop into Altrincham on Friday at noon for a glass and a mince pie, I look forward to seeing you in person and joining you in locking up the building for the last time ahead of welcoming customers back to move Altrincham in 18 months’ time!

To colleagues working in Stretford, Sale and Partington – we are still working hard on the plans for all three of these centre’s and alongside the Altrincham construction, work is still progressing to ensure that as Altrincham re-opens, another centre will close 12 weeks later for the next centre to be refurbished. The decision on which centre goes next will be made b the council in February 2023.

A Couple of Updates

Work has been taking place on a proposed new all-weather pitch, which would give us 2 pitches in one location, to be introduced at Partington. The planning application has gone in and a bid to the football foundation is being submitted by Broadoak school with the support of Trafford Leisure and Trafford Council in the new year.

Mental Health & Wellbeing including Mental Health First Aiders

MHFA training is ongoing, and we aim to implement wellbeing ambassadors into the business for 2023 to further support this training and open up the conversation on mental health and wellbeing.

Earlier this year, the Trafford Poverty Truth Commission was launched which gave people with experience of living in poverty the opportunity to speak up and build relationships with those in positions of influence. Trafford Poverty Truth is a network of community commissioners, people with direct experience of what it's like to live in poverty, and civic commissioners, those with the power to make decisions that have an impact on those who live in poverty. Community commissioners are given the opportunity to discuss their real-life experiences with civic commissioners in order to successfully tackle poverty in the local community. The intention is for the civic commissioners to take these experiences into account when making decisions that has an influence on poverty in the local community.

By working together, the Poverty Truth network enables for a deeper, more meaningful understanding of what it is like living in poverty. This contributes to impactful decisions for those suffering in the local communities.

I am one of the civic commissioners for Poverty Truth Trafford and I am part of a working group to focus on Connecting Services and Access to information. We are also taking the opportunity to look at how the community commissioners can provide direct feedback to Trafford Leisure. Trafford Leisure is providing 9 of the community commissioners with a free membership for the next 6 months. This is in return for valuable feedback to be provided about our centres, resources and staff.

On Thursday 15th December, The Customer Experience Manager, Active Living Manager and CEO support invited the Community Commissioners of Poverty Truth Trafford to Altrincham Golf Course. Whilst here, they were signed up to our facilities and learnt all about our Active Trafford programme. Feedback will be obtained in person and over the phone /e-mail on a monthly basis and alongside general feedback we will discuss the following three questions:

- What do you like about the Active Trafford Scheme?

- What don’t you like about the Active Trafford Scheme?

- What would you change about the Active Trafford Scheme if you were CEO for the day? I am really excited about the insight and feedback we will receive and how best we can use this to remove barriers further for people and/or improve our experiences.

Finally, a date for all your diaries – save the date - Saturday 21st January 2023 – make sure you get your staff nominations in and secure your ticket – I look forward to an evening of looking back and celebrations for the first time in 3 years!

I hope each and everyone of you have received the small gift of chocolate delivered to your site, remember in 6 of the boxes there is a hidden golden ticket with prizes waiting to be collected from our support office.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and all the best for 2023!

EMPLOYEE NPS RESULTS

A big thank you to the 116 people who took the time to complete our People based NPS – asking just 1 simple question - How likely would you be to recommend our company to a friend or colleague? We want to say a huge THANK YOU! This is another opportunity for you to have a voice in the workplace and to feedback to us as management! As ever your answers, feedback and comments are greatly appreciated, and we’ve summarised the key findings for you below.

Overall we scored -3 in the People NPS, and whilst we are happy with this result for our very first NPS we are sure that we can improve next time as we plan to regularly run NPS. The aim for future NPS is that we have improved engagement across the board with more responses and hopefully more promoters in the next People NPS which will be February 2023! NPS are graded into three categories:

As you can see below we had 3 more detractors than promotors in our scores with 45 people in the passive category, so hope that with work from the management teams we can move more people into the Promoter category for Trafford Leisure!

PROMOTERS - 34

PASSIVES - 45 DETRACTORS - 37

NPS Score By Site:

On the Score by Site you can see the breakdown for each location. The survey was sent out to all staff however we can also breakdown what sites individual scores look like.

Key points;

• Support hub scored the highest overall score 45

• The lowest comes from Partington –100 although this is based on 1 member of staff scoring.

• Urmston and Altrincham have the highest number of staff completing the survey 29 per site.

• Move Urmston has the highest number of Promoters 11 people scored between 9 –10.

• Altrincham has the highest number of Detractors 14 people scored between 0-6.

NPS Engagement overall & by Site:

The following table shows the engagement overall and by site and as you can see the Support Office had the highest levels of engagement with work needing to be done to improve engagement across all sites for the next NPS.

We have reviewed all responses where comments where made and will be issuing out updated You Said We Did posters in the new year. We are listening and we really do value your input!

We need your votes for... Sta Awards

Customer at the Heart Award

Innovation Award

This award showcases where an individual or team of Tra ord Leisure has truly used imagination, being creative in discovering new ideas and solution and helped bring about change. This individual or team has really challenged the status quo.

Solution Super Star

This award showcases where an individual or team of Tra ord Leisure has simpli ed our business, creating ways of working that enable our people to be focused on what matters the most – our customers! This individual or team may have made our processes easier, driven improvement in an area of the business or delivered the highest standards of quality, safety or compliance. Taking a problem and nding a solution

Rising Star Award

This award recognises the achievements of an individual, who has joined Tra ord Leisure within the past two years, who goes beyond what might be expected and who strives to exceed in all that they do. This award looks for an individual who has shown an exceptional level of initiative, skill and commitment in their role and who has made a positive impact within their business or team. This individual will be someone who stands out in the crowd, who you think is a real asset to the organisation and who you believe will be a future star

The Stewart Heap Employee Of The Year

This is awarded to an exceptional team member, who time and time again goes the extra mile. This individual is committed, passionate and has great communication skills. They are always reliable and always handle their assigned responsibilities. They reach out to their team members and o er their time and help freely - often before it is being sought. They are the role model for their colleagues and are a shining example of the Tra ord Leisure values in everything they do.

Manager of the year (Excluding SLT)

This is awarded to a manager at Tra ord Leisure who provides the best support to their diverse team and truly lives our values. Whilst passionate about their role they also care for our people and our customers, showing empathy and integrity in the decisions they make which may impact on their team or the services we deliver to customers. This manager will be courageous in the decisions they take to ensure we do the right things in all aspects of their work. They help to support and grow their team and their business to ensure we can achieve our strategic aims.

Please fill out the online form by scanning the QR code with your phone camera or visit: www.forms.office.com/e/6T2dw3WJns Or please fill out the form in your staff room and post in the box provided.

This award showcases where an individual or team of Tra ord Leisure has truly put the customer at the forefront of thinking and/or delivery. Nominations are sought that really show the best of where customers have been listened to and responded to thoughtfully, where we have really connected emotionally to our customer(s) or maybe where we have provided a surprise and delight moment. This individual or team has exceeded our customer expectation and helped Tra ord Leisure be set aside from our competitors. Nominate any person who you think deserves to win any of the above awards at the following sites: Altrincham, Sale and Partington Leisure Centre, move Urmston, Stretford Sports Village - Talbot, Chester, Sports Barn, Altrincham Golf Course, The Grammar and Trafford Leisure Support Services.

WHAT’S NEW?

@ Altrincham Leisure Centre

A CHRISTMAS TREAT

Altrincham welcomed some very special guests to celebrate our fantastic gymnastics programmme coming to a temporary end whilst the site closes for the exciting renovations ahead. We invited Elvis the Elf and his partner in crime to surprise the children of gymnastics as well as those from swimming lessons, with a bouncy castle and a game of dodgeball (with snowballs) ready to go too. A big thank you to those who made this happen and to Elves Misbehaving for being brilliant hosts; be sure to check out their socials @elvesmisbehaving! We hope this was a lovely send off for the children and their families.

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

November

Dan Oliver October

Jordan Worstencroft

September

Jay Bardsley

WHAT’S NEW?

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

FAMILY & FRIENDS

Staff Discount Amendments

Great news after feedback from you we’ve extended the direct debit option for the family & Friends pass so children can now benefit from this too! Direct debit is available for over 16’s and there is a minimum of a 2 month sign up for those on the FF Direct Debit pass. We also have a Direct Debit option for 1-15 years, for this option the staff member will be taking the DD agreement out on behalf of the 1-15 year old and be liable for the agreement and Direct Debit payments. Please do look to see how you can take advantage of this fantastic staff benefit, details of the Policy and how to apply can be found on Flex at Flex :: eLearning LMS from Future Fit just look under the Trafford Leisure, Staff Benefits section or simply search for Family and friends.

Here is a table outlining what is available for children, do take a look to see how you get the children in your lives to move more every day!

October Adam Howarth

September Jack O’Brien November Lisa Pender

Greater Manchester has adopted a city-region approach to delivering the Armed Forces Covenant. Trafford Leisure’s commitment ensures that our

priorities can support the armed forces community in key areas such as employment & skills and health & wellbeing

attended a Career’s Fair in Old Trafford at the University Academy 92

speak to the new students about opportunties with Trafford Leisure. Representing us at the event was Craig Corbett, Morgan Gardner, Vanessa Francisco and Louise Baron. Well done team for your efforts in recruiting some fresh faces!

THE DREAM TEAM

Lead by none other than Fiona Buckley, here’s an insight into the briliant people behind Trafford Training!

Amie Woods

“I am currently the Swimwell Manager at Urmston, Partington and Alpha. I have been working for Trafford Leisure for 8 years now doing numberous roles such as Swim Teacher, SLA, Lifeguard and now I’ve progressed to Swimwell Manager. I’m always in the water doing 1 to 1’s with our Alpha children!”

Ian Forster

“Having been a trainer in the Fire Service for 12 years, the role of Trainer Assessor was of interest to me. I am passionate about improving people’s skills and having the confidence to use them in their lives be it in or out of work.”

Lucy Brogan

“I have been a lifeguard & swim teacher for the last 20 years and have been working for Trafford Leisure for the last 13 years. I am based at Stretford Leisure Centre for the majority of my time as a swimming teacher. I’ve been on the training team as a T.A for the last 7 years and also have recently been helping deliver some of our First Aid courses. Between delivering First Aid and NPLQ courses, and helping with the monthly training of our staff, this is now my primary job role at Trafford Leisure. Although I can still be seen teaching swimming lessons at Streftord now and again!”

Marc Martin

“Started in 2017 as a apprentice which qualified me as a lifeguard and also in leisure management which taught me the different aspects of leisure centre operations. From 2018 to 2020 I worked as a lifeguard at Sale. In 2019 I got the Swimming Teacher Level 1 & 2 qualifications before becoming a contracted swimming teacher in 2020. Also in 2020 did my Trainer Assessor training. My current roles are Swimming Teacher and Swim Well Assistant at Sale Leisure Centre.”

Nicola Payne

“You can usually find me at move Urmston as the class exercise co-ordinator, when I’m not teaching fitness classes, I’m teaching swimming lessons, specialising in alpha, and pre-school lessons. I became a lifeguard back in 1996 and started my career at Partington sports village. I became a trainer Assessor In 2004 and felt it was a natural progression with my experience and knowledge in the industry. It’s a great feeling to be part of the Trafford Training team, and to be part of a team that can save lives and make a difference.”

Scott Thompson Wayne Wardle

“I have worked for Trafford leisure for almost six years primarily as a swimming teacher, however I have always had an interest in the RLSS, in terms of the water safety and first aid side of what we do here at the company. Now, as part of the training team at Trafford Leisure, I am passionate about working with the staff at the company, developing our skills and knowledge together, making sure we are a well working and responsive team.”

“I have been working for Trafford Leisure since 1990, starting off as a Lifeguard and working in all areas of leisure. In my current role I work as a Trainer Assessor and a Swimming Teacher at Move Urmston. As a National Trainer Assessor for the RLSS, I am able to deliver and train trainers / mentor probationary TA’s covering the following areas: NPLQ – National Pool Lifeguard Qualification, NVBLQ – National Vocational Beach Lifeguard Qualification, OWL - Open Water Lifeguards, First Aid at work and NRASTAC.”

Trafford Leisure have teamed up with LIVA, providing members with access to a six month digital lifestyle change programme.

WHAT’S NEW?

@ move Urmston

FITMAS IS HERE

T’is the season for Christmas themed workouts at move Urmston! The Fitness team have curated a brilliant challenge called ‘24 Days of Fitmas’, featuring 24 different Christmas themed functional exercises for you to add to your workout to keep you fighting fit over the holidays. This is accessible via the Mywellness app, which you can also pair with all Technogym equipment at move Urmston and track your progress. Check out the list of exercises and try them for yourself!

IT’S THAT TIME OF

Our swimming teachers at Urmston had their festive spirits shining through over the final week of lessons before the Christmas break. Looking good, guys!

Lizzie Sinclair

Martin Cherian

WHAT’S NEW?

TINY TEDS CHRISTMAS PARTY

Stretford recently hosted the Tiny Teds Christmas Party in our soft play room, which turned out to be a huge success! Santa came prepared with a gift for each of the children that attended this christmas celebration full of goodies whilst being surrounded by friends and family.

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

Rob Stones

Guidance for Menopause

Let’s talk Menopause!

As far as I’m aware we haven’t had any formal policy or support in place for our employees who may be suffering the effects of the menopause or who may be supporting a colleague or a loved one as they go through this natural phase of life. We want to get better at this across Trafford Leisure and ensure that everyone understands the menopause more, feels comfortable to talk about it and importantly can help and support people through it.

So what is the Menopause?

It a phase of life when women stop having periods and experience hormonal changes such as a decrease in oestrogen levels. It usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 55 and typically lasts between four and eight years, although it can last longer. Every experience will be different and menopausal symptoms can begin before the age of 40 years.

Symptoms

Most women will experience menopausal symptoms, with different levels of severity. Common symptoms include: Hot flushes (short, sudden feelings of heat, usually in the face, neck and chest, which can make your skin red and sweaty), Headaches, difficulty sleeping (this may make you feel tired and irritable during the day), night sweats (hot flushes that occur at night), mood changes, such as low mood, anxiety or depression, problems with memory and concentration, palpitations, increased need to go to the toilet, joint stiffness, aches and pains.

The symptoms can begin months or even years before a woman’s periods stop (the peri-menopause) and last around four years after the last period, although some women experience them for much longer and can need medication to alleviate symptoms.

Why is it important you know this? Well because of the impact it has on people, especially in the workplace!

For every ten women experiencing menopausal symptoms, six say it has a negative impact on their work:

• Nearly two-thirds (65%) said they were less able to concentrate

• More than half (58%) said they experience more stress

• More than half (52%) said they felt less patient with clients and colleagues.

So as you can see the menopause can have a significant impact on you, your female colleagues, your Aunt’s, Sister’s, Mum’s, partners, wives, girlfriends etc so it’s important that we are aware of this and we can be open in discussing the symptoms and effects to understand how we can support them through this natural phase of life.

We are in the process of creating a Menopause guide and training at Trafford Leisure which we will roll out in the new year, if you’d be interested in helping to improve what we are creating then please do get in touch with Leanne on leane.wheatley@traffordleisure.co.uk.

Let’s break the taboo related to the menopause, open up the s around it and improve the support offered across Trafford Leisure on this. More to come in the New Year.

NEW STARTERS WHERE POSITION

Luke Toner

Christopher O’Connell

Evelyn Donnelly Alexander Hurst

Kymberlee Collum

Louise Baron

Harry Paulson

Charlotte Hanley

Stephanie Sykes

Josie Donegan

Lindsey-Marie Forster-Banes

John Naughton

Leonie Welford

Bo Squire

Connor Perry Amelia Rose

Reena Mtiga

Robert Rowlands

Simone Daniel Jake Pender

Parina Aggarwal

Daisy Gibbon

Arthur Harwood

LEAVERS

Liam Blackshaw

Hannah Marsland

Anthony Matthews

Freya Payne

Jake Pender

Jack Wakefield

Francis Warden

Megan Gilliver

Rebecca Logie Lucy Monaghan

James Jackson

Alexander Widdall

Jordan Wagster

Tessa Griffiths

Anthony Jackson Jason Alexander

Betsey-Anne Wall

Alexander Hurst Dylan Milne Stuart Hurlston

DATE

Lifeguard & Leisure Assistant Golf Attendant Lifeguard & Leisure Assistant Swim Teacher L1 Lifeguard & Leisure Assistant Active Living Manager Lifeguard & Leisure Assistant Lifeguard & Leisure Assistant Interim HR Specialist Apprentice Greenkeeper Swim Teacher L2 Swim Teacher L2 Swim Teacher L2 Swim Teacher L2 Lifeguard & Leisure Assistant Graduate CEO Support Lifeguard & Leisure Assistant Golf Attendant Swim Teacher L2 Swim Teacher L2 Driving Range Assistant Health & Fitness Instructor Lifeguard & Leisure Assistant Lifeguard & Leisure Assistant Clip & Climb Lifeguard & Leisure Assistant Lifeguard & Leisure Assistant 05/09/2022 01/09/2022 01/09/2022 01/09/2022 10/09/2022 22/09/2022 12/09/2022 20/09/2022 13/09/2022 20/09/2022 01/10/2022 11/10/2022 12/10/2022 04/10/2022 05/10/2022 26/10/2022 18/10/2022 28/10/2022 04/10/2022 01/10/2022 31/10/2022 01/11/2022 04/11/2022 01/11/2022 01/11/2022 09/11/2022 01/12/2022 WHERE POSITION DATE Here

Sept Sept Sept Sept Sept Sept Sept oct oct oct Nov Nov Nov Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec URM ALG SAL SAL URM HWB STR URM HEQ ALG SAL SAL SAL URM SAL HEQ SAL ALG STR STR ALG STR URM STR URM URM URM

Fancy a Christmas Riddle to put your mind in a pickle?

Have a go and see if you can get them all...

1. I’m a Christmas treat that can be made into many things. I can be a cake, a cookie or an edible little cottage with icing. What am I?

2. I get killed. I get dressed. I get trinkets, and everyone smiles, looking at my star. What am I?

3. I’m a plant seen at Christmas, which people hang above. And then they stand beneath me and kiss someone they love. What am I?

4. This is a Christmas carol that has no sound or music. What is it?

5. I hang around for spreading happiness during Christmas. What am I?

6. I am a man during winters, but I might be a source of water during spring. What am I?

If there is anything you would like to see included in the next newsletter, please email Morgan at: morgan.gardner@ traffordleisure.co.uk