Workout May 2025 by Script Media

Planning approved for Sandwell leisure facility

Page 4

UK Health and Fitness Market report reveals rapid growth in revenue Page 12

Boutique brand enters franchise market with tenreformer launch Pages 15

Sport England renews Moving Communities contract

SPORT England has reaffirmed its commitment to tackling inequalities in physical activity by renewing the Moving Communities contract for another four years.

Led by 4GLOBAL, in collaboration with Sheffield Hallam University, Right Directions and Active Insight, Moving Communities will continue to provide critical data and insights to shape the future of sport and physical activity across the UK.

Emma Bernstein, strategic projects lead at Sport England, said: “It’s not a secret that where a person lives has a huge impact on their likelihood of being physically active.

“We see that all too often, lowincome communities don’t have the same access to facilities and opportunities as wealthier areas.

“We are doubling down on our commitment to tackling these inequalities by using data-driven insights to co-create meaningful, community-led change through our place working and the renewed Moving Communities contract.”

The new contract forms part of Sport England’s £250million investment into local places, aligning with the organisation’s Place Partnerships, prioritising communities that experience the greatest levels of inequality.

Through collaboration with

local leaders, policy-makers and organisations, Moving Communities will play a pivotal role in breaking down barriers and creating sustainable, long-term solutions for increasing participation in physical activity.

Since its inception in 2021, Moving Communities has been a trusted source for industry data and insights across the public leisure facilities sector, enabling policy and decision-

makers to maximise the impact of investment in sport and physical activity.

In particular, Moving Communities has played a vital role in government decision making for schemes such as the National Leisure Recovery Fund and the Swimming Pool Support Fund, whilst tracking more than 200 million visits to facilities and recording more than £1billion in

social value.

With the new contract, Moving Communities is evolving beyond facility-based insights, focusing on whole-place approaches, looking at activity in a community as a whole including activity inside and outside of facilities, to better understand and support communities at a local level.

Jack Shakespeare, director of strategic projects at 4GLOBAL, added: “Moving Communities has become an essential tool for the sector, providing actionable insights that support evidence-based decision-making.

“We’re excited to lead this next phase of the programme, working alongside our esteemed partners to ensure we continue to work across the sector to support key decision-making, drive continuous improvement and demonstrate impact at both local and national levels.”

By shifting its focus to whole-place approaches, Moving Communities will help understand trends in physical activity levels and opportunities to support policy making and investments that reflect the unique needs of communities, ensuring that sport and physical activity become more accessible, inclusive and impactful for all.

Planning approved for Sandwell leisure facility

PLANNING permission for the redevelopment of Haden Hill Leisure Centre has been approved by Sandwell Council’s Planning Authority.

Following a thorough review of the centre’s design, it has been confirmed that the entire facility will be demolished and rebuilt. This was the way forward recommended by the council’s Cabinet earlier in the year to allow the project to move forward with the next stages of development.

The new leisure centre will feature a wide range of facilities, including a main swimming pool, a learner pool, two multi-purpose studios, a 100-station gym, a 27-station indoor cycling studio, a four-court sports hall, and a dedicated community room.

The £24m redevelopment is being funded by UK Government funding, Sport England, and Sandwell Council. It is being delivered by leisure development specialists Alliance Leisure, and was procured using the UK Leisure Framework, which is owned and managed by Denbighshire Leisure Ltd.

Councillor Suzanne Hartwell, Sandwell Council’s cabinet member for neighbourhoods and community, said: “I am glad to see further progress on the Haden Hill

site and look forward to it opening to the public.

“Over the last decade we have built five new leisure centres including the magnificent Sandwell Aquatics Centre. This investment at Haden Hill Leisure Centre will ensure we are maintaining our high-quality leisure offer to all residents of Sandwell across the six towns.”

Mark Braithwaite, chief executive for Sandwell Leisure Trust, said: “We

are delighted to see further progress towards the rebuilding of this muchloved facility, and we will continue to support all project partners to deliver another fantastic investment for Sandwell.”

Contractors Speller Metcalfe have joined the design team and have completed the design up to RIBA Stage 3. The project is expected to break ground in November 2025, with an anticipated completion date

of Spring 2027.

Julia Goddard, regional director at Alliance Leisure, added: ”We are delighted that approvals have been granted to proceed into RIBA stage 4 for this transformational project.

“The scheme has been developed with the health and wellbeing of the community at the forefront, so the new centre will revolutionise the ways that people can get active in the area.”

Sport for Confidence launches new community model with operator

SPORT for Confidence CIC and Everyone Active have launched a new community focused delivery model in Westminster.

The model is based on a proven, successful blueprint to improve access to occupational therapy services and meaningful physical activity.

Building on the success of the existing leisure centre model, the partnership extends support to individuals with physical and learning disabilities, sensory impairments and long-term health conditions, alongside their carers.

Robert Walker, occupational therapist and clinical lead at Sport for Confidence, said: “The Westminster Community Model has been created in response to the unique challenges individuals face in accessing meaningful physical activity.

“By integrating occupational therapy into community settings we are breaking down barriers and opening engagement opportunities to more people, regardless of their ability.

“Everybody has a right to experience physical activity and sport, which can empower, provide meaningful choice and a sense of belonging.

“Through this collaborative approach we are seeking to build active lives and active neighbourhoods, reducing health inequalities, and creating lasting positive experiences for all residents of Westminster.”

The Borough of Westminster already offers a wide range of physical activity opportunities, supported by a network of dedicated local providers.

Through the design and delivery of this new model, The Sport for Confidence community team, working alongside Everyone Active, will complement and enhance existing provisions by embedding a therapeutic approach to physical activity that promotes health, prevents ill-health, and enables participants to achieve goals beyond sport alone.

Robert added: “The Westminster Community Model will ensure that occupational therapists are accessible throughout the borough, allowing more residents to benefit from expert support.

“Working closely with local providers, we will help to deliver inclusive physical activity sessions tailored to the needs of diverse communities, hosted in Everyone Active managed leisure

centres.

“While the model has been adapted to reflect local nuances, it is based on our successful delivery model already active across Essex, where we are supporting thousands of people traditionally furthest away for physical activity every month.

“Strengthening partnerships with adult social care, NHS services, and other community organisations is key to fostering a connected approach to community wellbeing.

“Participants will be provided with personalised support by ensuring activities align with their unique needs and aspirations.

“To create a more welcoming and accessible environment, local coaches and leisure centre workers will receive specialised training from Sport For Confidence, helping to build capacity for inclusive opportunities across Westminster that specifically target those furthest away from physical activity.”

As part of this initiative, Sport for Confidence is also introducing the “Smiley Face” Partnership Mark.

This symbol signifies an activity has been co-created with Sport for Confidence occupational therapists and coaches, providing a quality stamp and reiterating the programme’s inclusive, accessible,

and person-centred focus.

“The Smiley Face symbolises partnership between Sport for Confidence and local groups dedicated to community wellbeing,” said Robert.

“It also recognises and celebrates the commitment of local providers to making physical activity welcoming and beneficial for all.”

Sport for Confidence is also calling on local providers, community groups and organisations to join a movement towards a healthier, more connected Westminster.

Those interested in partnering with the Westminster Community Model are being invited to complete a short survey.

Rebecca Phillips, Everyone Active’s strategic lead – health and wellbeing, said: “We’re proud to be recognised for the role we play in supporting local communities.

“Extending our partnership with Sport for Confidence to deliver this new Community Model in Westminster allows us to tackle the barriers to being physically active and improves access to Occupational Therapy services.

“By providing solutions to improve health and wellbeing outcomes, we can help build more resilient neighbourhoods.”

New gym facilities proving popular at sports centre

MEMBERS at Dorothy Hyman Sports Centre in Barnsley can now enjoy a new state-of-theart gym experience, thanks to investment by operator BPL. The gym has been refurbished to include the latest equipment from Technogym, including new studio cycling bikes, treadmills and free weights, along with the introduction of a BOX 12 pod, offering interactive boxing workouts.

Facility manager Martin Prest said: “At BPL, we are all about bringing spaces to life and this is a great example of that.

“Dorothy Hyman Sports Centre is very much a community orientated facility.

“We pride ourselves on the customer service we provide and the compliments about our staff have always been excellent.

“Now we can add to that with the new gym offering;

investing back into the facility, further improving the member experience.

“The feedback we’ve had from customers since the redevelopment has been outstanding – we’re absolutely delighted with it.”

The centre has also undergone a full rebranding, including new artwork, signage and digital screens to bring it in line with the rest of BPL’s Your Space gym facilities.

UK Health and Fitness Market report reveals rapid growth in revenue

THE UK health and fitness market is witnessing major growth against a difficult economic backdrop, with penetration rates hitting 16.9 per cent and annual revenue exceeding £5.7bn, according to the new UK Health and Fitness Market report.

The report, published by ukactive in collaboration with 4GLOBAL and Sport England, with analysis from Deloitte, shows that total revenue across the sector rose from £5.2bn in 2023 to £5.7bn in 2024 (8.8 per cent increase).

Bringing together quarterly data on recorded customers visits to health and fitness facilities run by public, private and independent operators across the UK, the first annual report is based on the sector’s most authoritative source of market intelligence.

The UK Health and Fitness Market report is sponsored by BLKBOX, Gladstone, Life Fitness/Hammer Strength, Matrix, Myzone and Technogym, and its data will also be included in the European Health & Fitness Market report published by EuropeActive and Deloitte, which was released at the European Health & Fitness Forum in Cologne, Germany.

Huw Edwards, CEO of ukactive, said: “We are delighted to publish the first UK Health and Fitness Market report, with thanks to the work of our partners and members, representing the most authoritative dataset to accurately track the growth, size and impact of our sector.

“These findings provide irrefutable evidence that our sector is essential for the UK’s health, happiness and prosperity, offering a major opportunity for further growth and investment.

“More than 11 million people are members of our nation’s health and fitness clubs, making them the engine room of physical activity.

“We want to see the Government and policymakers recognise this opportunity and help

remove any blockers to our sector’s growth so that our members can reach their potential and maximise their value to society.”

The UK report shows that around 11.5 million people over the age of 16 are currently members of a health and fitness club across the UK and records the latest number of clubs as 5,607 (based on health and fitness clubs open to the public, with resistance and/or cardiovascular equipment).

The report shows that membership revenue across the sector has also risen from £4.05bn in 2022 to £5.19bn in 2024, resulting in a compound annual growth rate of 13.1 per cent.

The past year has also seen the highest deal volume in the market since 2020, with seven significant merger and acquisition deals recorded, reflecting investor confidence in the sector’s longterm growth potential.

The report demonstrates the demand for health and fitness services, despite challenging economic conditions for the sector due to the

Advertiser’s announcement

energy crisis, rising cost of living and increasing operating costs.

The report shows membership numbers have still risen – from 9.9 million in 2022 to 11.5 million in 2024 – suggesting that despite the backdrop of cost-of-living pressures, consumers continue to value gym and fitness memberships as a priority for their discretionary spend.

Consumer survey data reflected in the report indicates growing engagement across all age groups, but particularly younger adults.

It shows mental health as a growing motivation for people using facilities (76 per cent) but also shows the growth potential to reach more older adults, people from minority backgrounds and those of lower socio-economic status.

The report comes as the UK Government battles the consequences of declining physical and mental health across the population, with workplace sickness costing £138bn and poor mental health among employees costing businesses £51bn a year.

Currently, about 9.2 million people are economically inactive in the UK and the Government continues to search for ways to boost the workforce following its recent welfare reforms.

The NHS waiting list currently stands at 7.5 million, with more than three million having already waited longer than the 18-week target. The physical activity sector, powered by its facilities, provides a key solution for preventative health, generating over £10.5bn in secondary value through reduced disease cases and lower demands on health and social care every year.

Studies show that physical activity helps to prevent 20 chronic conditions, including type two diabetes, obesity, heart disease, many types of cancer, MSK conditions, depression and anxiety and dementia.

Spa Naturel join with CFM for membership drive

IN A fitness market flooded with no-contract memberships and rock-bottom monthly fees, it’s easy to see why some clubs feel pressure to follow the crowd.

The trend is clear: keep the barriers to entry low, remove long-term commitment, and hope members stay.

But often the reason gyms need no-contract memberships in the first place isn’t pricing –it’s the lack of a dedicated sales process.

When potential members are properly guided, understood, and supported, long-term memberships sell themselves.

That’s exactly the approach Spa Naturel embraced when they partnered with Creative Fitness Marketing for their recent membership drive.

The power of sales, not just leads

Many marketing agencies pride themselves on delivering a flood of digital leads — but more leads don’t always mean more members.

The real magic happens during the conversation: when a trained professional helps turn curiosity into commitment.

That’s where CFM’s experienced sales team shines.

CFM doesn’t just hand over names; their team of UK-leading fitness sales professionals are dedicated to understanding each potential member’s personal goals.

Whether it’s weight loss, stress relief,

strength, or simply a social space, CFM’s staff craft each club tour around the individual’s aspirations.

Often, members don’t even fully realise what they want until the right questions are asked — and CFM’s team are experts in asking them.

Impressive Results at Spa Naturel Brands Hatch

The recent seven-week campaign was a clear demonstration of how this approach pays off.

The result? An impressive £239,000 in projected profit from long-term memberships

sold.

Rather than relying on the revolving door of short-term, no-commitment signups, Spa Naturel Brands Hatch has built a stronger, more stable member base that directly feeds into the club’s long-term success.

Turning interest into commitment

One of the greatest advantages of working with CFM is their ability to humanise the sales process.

Every prospective member is treated as an individual, not just a number.

By identifying their reasons for walking through the door, CFM transforms casual interest into motivated commitment, which leads to higher retention and stronger community ties for the club.

This sales-first approach allowed Spa Naturel to focus on delivering the luxury wellness experience their members expect, while CFM handled the front-line conversations that drive growth.

Ready to strengthen your club’s membership?

If you’re tired of chasing digital leads that rarely convert, and want a partner who can drive real, lasting growth, CFM is ready to help.

Visit www.cfm.net or call 0115 777 3333 to learn how a sales-first membership campaign can deliver results for your fitness business.

Huw Edwards, CEO of ukactive

Boutique brand enters franchise market with tenreformer launch

TEN Health & Fitness has announced the launch of its new boutique franchise brand, tenreformer, focusing exclusively on Dynamic Reformer Pilates classes.

tenreformer distils 18 years of knowledge and expertise from Ten Health & Fitness, loved and trusted by A list stars like Carey Mulligan, Zoe Ball and Claudia Schiffer, into a reformer-only boutique studio concept designed to be accessible, scalable and community-driven.

Joanne Mathews, founder of Ten Health & Fitness, said: “Launching a franchise strategy fits with our mission of delivering more Pilates to more people in more places.

“It feels like a natural progression

for Ten, expanding the reach of our Pilates expertise and giving more people the opportunity to celebrate endorphins, leaving our studios on a natural high.

“We’ve already had interest in franchises thanks to our legacy in London. tenreformer leverages our history and reputation for delivering outstanding classes whilst providing exceptional support to franchisees to help them build a successful studio.

“We’ve always been incredibly protective of the Ten brand, and this doesn’t change with this strategy – tenreformer will be from Ten but a brand in its own right – and we’ll be ensuring the quality of teaching

and providing all of the resources needed for franchisees to deliver the authentic experience we expect from a Ten brand.”

The new franchise concept capitalises on the ever-growing popularity of Pilates, with ambitious growth plans underway following an initial investment from Foresight VCT of £1.5m, the tenreformer team are planning for studios to open across the UK and internationally. tenreformer franchises will offer state-of-the-art studios equipped with 16-20 reformers, paired with highly skilled coaches to provide personalised hands-on guidance and authentic motivation to members.

All the instructors teaching in tenreformer studios will be required to go through the Ten Education training programme, ensuring Ten’s renowned standard of teaching remains exceptional across the board.

For an initial investment of £25,000, franchisees will get a license to operate with the tenreformer brand with a turnkey ‘studio-in-a-box’ solution for anyone looking to launch their own site; covering everything from location selection and studio design to training, marketing, and operations, supporting the entire journey with everything needed to launch a studio and see it thrive.

Operator to open five hubs after pilot success

PARKWOOD Leisure is reaffirming its commitment to MSK support by launching five new musculoskeletal Hubs this Spring, driving impactful change in its communities across England and Wales.

In addition, the commitment and work of the leisure operator has been recognised by Good Boost, awarding five of Parkwood’s original pilot sites ‘Flagship Status’ in recognition of their exceptional delivery of the Good Boost evidence-based programmes and service to individuals living with longterm health conditions and musculoskeletal conditions.

Suzanne Gabb, COO of Good Boost said: “This recognition is a testament to the dedication of Parkwood’s leisure centre teams who are committed to making a real difference in the lives of those with MSK and long-term health conditions.

“We are incredibly proud to celebrate their achievements and the positive impact they have on their communities.”

Parkwood Leisure’s MSK Community Hubs initiative has proven instrumental in

enhancing quality of life for participants. Surveys during the pilot phase revealed 62.5 per cent of participants reported improvements in their wellbeing, with many achieving significant relief from their MSK conditions.

Parkwood now has 33 locations across England and Wales including new sites in Bromley, Boston, Ilfracombe, Leeds and Milton Keynes.

MSK Community Hubs serve as a vital resource in supporting individuals managing MSK conditions, which affect one

in five adults every year. MSK conditions pose a significant burden on both individuals and healthcare operators, costing the NHS an estimated £6.3 billion per year.

MSK Community Hubs were developed as part of the Government’s Healthy Ageing Challenge, initially a pilot project driven by a consortium of partners; ukactive, Good Boost, Orthopaedic Research UK, ESCAPE-pain and Arthritis Action.

After a successful two-year pilot in which 30 leisure centres

in the Parkwood Leisure group became MSK Community Hubs, the operator, in partnership with Legacy Leisure, Lex Leisure, Creating Active Futures and 1Life, is now actively growing sites and training MSK leads to manage the programmes.

Managing director of Parkwood Leisure, Glen Hall, added: “It’s not often that you get to be involved in a pilot project that has such a demonstrable impact, the numbers speak for themselves with an estimated £981k of social value generated during our 10-month live pilot period across 30 of our sites.

“Leisure centres have always been central to UK communities and it made absolute sense to work together with our partners to utilise our skills and infrastructure to positively impact people’s health and play a role in relieving pressure on the NHS. Parkwood Leisure continues to expand the MSK Hubs and we have plans to continue on this path and open more hubs in the future.”

Access to the programme can either be self-referred or by a health practitioner, via a simple online form.

HEALTH and fitness professionals are invited to a disability training seminar hosted by the Matt Hampson Foundation to provide insights and skills related to working with people with disabilities and making gym space more welcoming to everyone.

The Foundation supports young people after life-changing injury in sporting activity and is based at the Get Busy Living Centre in Leicestershire where the team will host a free, full-day seminar on Friday, May 16 between 9am and 4.30pm aimed at increasing knowledge and skills within the fitness industry and making facilities more inclusive for all.

Matt Hampson created the Foundation as a charity to support others following his own experience of serious injury as a young professional rugby player and built its Get Busy Living Centre near Melton Mowbray to provide specialist physiotherapy, personal training, wellbeing and peer support for young people in similar circumstances.

The Foundation’s specialist team

is uniquely placed to help improve accessibility and inclusion within the fitness industry through sharing its knowledge and expertise.

Beneficiaries of the charity regularly describe how inaccessible many gyms are for them and how they are not confident that they can attend these spaces independently.

n According to census figures, 24 per cent of the UK population report

having a disability. This equates to more than 16 million people.

n The Activity Alliance found that 81 per cent of people with a disability want to be more active but feel unable to do so.

n In the Foundation’s survey of gym owners and trainers, around 75 per cent would not feel confident to include someone with a disability in an exercise class.

The Disability Training Seminar has been created to help health and fitness professionals to think creatively and communicate effectively with their own clients to get the best results from their exercise experience.

A day of learning and networking will combine expert advice, lived experience and evidence-based leadership development aimed at helping anyone within health and fitness to reach a new standard of coaching.

Content is designed to help trainers to apply existing knowledge so a qualification in personal training, gym instructing, sports science or strength and conditioning is needed to get the most from the day.

Managers and owners in the industry are encouraged to bring their team (up to five members) to add to their skills and awareness, working towards a world where anyone with a disability can attend any commercial gym and find a space which works for them.

Make gym space more accessible to all Chain founder joins HFA Board of Directors

SHAFIQ Ahmed, founder and CEO of UK-based gym chain NRG GYM, has been appointed to the Health and Fitness Association Board of Directors.

Announced at The HFA Show 2025 in Las Vegas, Shafiq joins a team of experienced leaders from across the global health and fitness sector, with the directive to serve the association and the wider fitness industry by providing guidance, strategic direction, and insight that has a lasting global impact.

He said: “I am incredibly proud to be joining the HFA Board and to be given the opportunity to use

my experience and expertise for the wider benefit of our sector.

“Our business is the health, performance and wellbeing of people; something that I’m very passionate about with NRG and is well-aligned to the work that the HFA continues to do.

“Our industry is not without its challenges, but I believe that by working as a collective, we can better drive social impact and positive change for our sector, and the millions of people worldwide that we are able to support.”

With more than 25 years’ experience in corporate finance,

retail, and health and fitness, Shafiq founded NRG GYM in 2011 to offer something different to other ‘high value low price’ gyms, by offering best-in-class facilities at a highly competitive price and creating communities that empower individuals to make positive change.

Now at seven gyms and more than 30,000 members across the UK, and in cities including London, Manchester, Newcastle, and Sheffield, NRG also recently announced £4million investment from Puma Growth Partners to support the 24/7 gym chain’s ambitious growth plans.

For more details email George Thompson at george@hambo.co.uk

Operator joins forces with ReferAll to transform its provision

PARKWOOD Leisure has announced a new partnership with the UK’s leading exercise referral platform, ReferAll, to transform the provision of health programmes and exercise referral schemes at its Legacy Leisure sites.

Legacy Leisure is a not-for-profit organisation that is subcontracted by Parkwood Leisure to run 24 leisure centres in England and Wales. Already in use across some of the portfolio, ReferAll’s software will now help Parkwood to effectively manage and report on its wellbeing services and referral-based activity schemes under the Legacy Leisure banner.

“We are already using ReferAll for four of our Lex Leisure contracts in Bexleyheath, North Devon, Rushcliffe and Torbay with great success,” said Katie Lupton, head of

health and wellbeing at Parkwood Leisure. I’m thrilled that Legacy Leisure has provided funding to allow us to introduce the software to manage our exercise referral schemes across 20 of their sites.

“We run multiple exercise referral schemes including cardio, stroke and cancer rehab, our GP referral scheme ‘Steps to Health’ and MSK Hubs – Good Boost and Bump Boost.

“In the last 12 months we have had 4,417 people through our referral programmes. Using ReferAll is going to be a game changer for unlocking our data and proving the good we do.”

Easy-to-use and secure, ReferAll’s platform enables health and wellbeing teams to manage referrals for multiple schemes, and report on outcomes in real time.

It helps operators provide a safe, frictionless user experience to customers, saving hundreds of hours in admin per year.

“With so many schemes ongoing, we sought enhanced data security, a better way to report on our outcomes and a robust way to demonstrate the efficacy of our exercise referral schemes,” added Katie. “We know from experience that ReferAll will also allow us to offer an enhanced client experience, as our scheme users can log in to manage their own accounts and appointments.

“It’s built for purpose and will help us to grow and develop our service.”

Designed and built by industry experts to reduce workloads for service managers, to date ReferAll’s customers in approximately 2,000 venues have managed more than

1,200,000 referrals via the platform. From referrers in a healthcare or community setting to service managers, delivery teams and commissioners, the ReferAll platform offers a 360˚ view of their service.

The data-driven insights it provides play a pivotal role in optimising wellbeing services and improving health outcomes.

Stuart Stokes, founder and managing director of ReferAll, added: “The Legacy Leisure teams will now be able to provide realtime visibility of performance to commissioners and collate data to assist in bids for further funding.

“We go over and above to create functionality that saves the teams managing referral-based wellbeing schemes daily time and help eliminate mistakes, while also prioritising GDPR security.”

Shafiq Ahmed