ISSUE 1 May
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Issue 81- 24 December 2021
YOUR REGULAR ONLINE UPDATE FOR THE UK FITNESS SCENE
Government urged to recognise physical activity sector as safe and essential PAGE 3 Operator wins award for putting people first PAGE 4
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Operator reduces carbon footprint through partnership with energy saving company FREEDOM Leisure has been working in partnership with an energy saving consultancy to deliver a number of projects to minimise the environmental impact of its leisure centres. Leisure Energy, an award winning consultancy and industry leader, has been supporting the not-for-profit organisation with projects across the UK. Amongst recent projects was a programme of energy saving measures implemented across the community leisure facilities in Swansea, South Wales. Operated by Freedom Leisure, on behalf of Swansea Council, the facilities have benefitted from significant energy savings and a reduction in carbon of almost 500 tonnes per year. This is equivalent to taking 100 cars off the road per year or saving the entire energy use of an average house for almost 40 years. This success is being replicated across the Freedom Leisure group, with the organisation able to reduce its carbon emissions by 841 tonnes (CO2) and also reduce both its gas (-5.1 per cent) and electricity usage (-9.2 per cent) during 2019-20. However, the organisation is now
Angela Brown looking to boost these efforts even further. The recent project at The Stour Centre, Ashford, is testimony to this. The carbon reduction project at the Freedom Leisure centre was delivered with support from
the Public Sector Decarbonisation Grant and will result in carbon emissions being halved at the centre. The project has been recognised with multiple industry awards, including Energy Managers Association: Energy Management Consultancy Partnership 2021; and New Civil Engineer: Best Use of Technology: Carbon Reduction (TechFest 2021). Ivan Horsfall-Turner, chief executive officer of Freedom Leisure said: “Minimising environmental impact is a priority for Freedom Leisure right across our organisation. “We are totally committed to being socially and environmentally aware, delivering a sustainable service for local communities – the success and recognition of these recent projects in Swansea and Ashford are testimony to that.” Working on behalf of Freedom Leisure, Leisure Energy has played an instrumental role in the delivery and success of these projects. Neil Bland, managing director of Leisure Energy, added: “Leisure energy have been working with Freedom leisure for about six years, helping with their
energy efficiency, sustainability and decarbonisation pledges. “We recently helped Freedom Leisure reduce the carbon footprint of the community leisure facilities in Swansea by nearly 500 tonnes per year. “Our most recent project has also won two prestigious awards for decarbonisation, again – showing that Freedom Leisure continues to be at the forefront of carbon reduction in the leisure sector.” These awards follow the recent appointment of a new sustainability and environmental manager at Freedom Leisure. Angela Brown was recently appointed to the newly created role in a bid to secure its commitment towards a greener future. She has joined the senior leadership team and will play a key role in driving the sustainability and environmental efforts at all levels across the group. Freedom Leisure is a not-for-profit leisure trust which manages 110 leisure and cultural facilities on behalf of 26 local authorities across the UK to realise their vision of “improving lives through leisure”.
Trust’s sub-role a shot in the arm for region SANDWELL Leisure Trust has been praised for its role in the borough’s Covid-19 vaccination programme success – delivering jabs for some 40 per cent of the adults fully vaccinated so far. The Black Country-based charity (which runs nine leisure facilities for Sandwell Council across the borough) part converted two of its sites to approved vaccination centres at the start of the pandemic – Portway Lifestyle Centre in Oldbury and Tipton Sports Academy – and just between them they have delivered in excess of 160,000 of the 400,000+ jabs administered across Sandwell to date. Ash Rai, chief executive of Sandwell Leisure Trust, said: “We’re so proud to be able to offer our unflinching Group Editor: Judith Halkerston Tel: 01226 734639 jh@scriptmedia. co.uk
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support for this far reaching, local vaccination programme. “Portway Lifestyle Centre and Tipton Sports Academy were chosen because of their size and accessible location, plus our teams there have worked tirelessly and hand-in- hand with local NHS and Public Health staff to significantly contribute to Sandwell’s success rate. “I’d also like to say a special thank you to our customers, clubs and partners, who have all been so understanding and patient with the disruption in services whilst we have been supporting the so important fight against Covid.” Sandwell’s completion rate has been much better than expected, and in some age groups a lot higher than the national average.
Active IQ wins Exporter of the Year Award ACTIVE IQ has won the Exporter of the Year Award at the sixth annual FAB 2021 Awards, organised by the Federation of Awarding Bodies. The ‘Exporter of the Year’ award recognises the success of an organisation’s exports and international business. The FAB 2021 Awards recognise the contributions made by awarding organisations and their employees to education and skills in the UK over the past year. The winners were announced at the FAB 2021 Awards dinner, sponsored by Creatio, at the end of the first day of the FAB Conference at the Marriott Hotel in Leicester. “We are absolutely delighted to win the Exporter of the Year Award and to have our international work recognised
by this prestigious judging panel,” said Jenny Patrickson, Active IQ managing director. “I would like to thank and congratulate my international team for their exemplary work overseas. “In particular, I’m very proud of their success in Saudi Arabia breaking new ground by training and recruiting Saudi women instructors in partnership with
Spectrum® Wellness for Women. “Alongside this, they completed the translation of our course materials and supporting resources into Arabic and Egyptian which is helping to cement our presence in the Middle East.” Tom Bewick, FAB Chief Executive, added: “This year we received an abundance of excellent nominations for the FAB Awards, all of which were of a very high standard and demonstrated the commitment of our members to learners and the sector. “I am immensely proud of how our industry has risen to the challenges of the last two years and I have heard and seen so many examples of excellence demonstrated by individuals and teams pulling together to support one another as well as centres, employers and, of course, learners.”
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Government urged to recognise physical activity sector as safe and essential ukactive has urged the Government to ensure the physical activity sector remains open and supported to play its fullest role as the critical January period approaches. Based on evidence from its members, ukactive has estimated that the sector has already suffered a drop in revenue of more than £200m as a result of the current ‘Plan B’ measures in England. The existing measures have already caused a reduction in footfall to city centre facilities of up to 70 per cent. Huw Edwards, CEO of ukactive, recently met with government ministers to explain the impact that current and future restrictions would have both on the sector and the nation’s health. He said: “It is vital that the Government does not take our sector for granted and provides the required support for our members as part of the business relief measures that the Chancellor must address. “Gyms, pools, studios and leisure centres are dealing with a major loss in footfall and are facing the prospect of a decline in new members this January. “The Government must provide clarity on these plans beyond Christmas as the New Year is a vital
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Huw Edwards
time for gyms and leisure centres, when millions of people become members. “The closure of these facilities last January not only had a profound impact on the financial viability of these facilities, but also led to a massive drop in our national activity levels, creating more problems and pressure for our NHS. “These are essential facilities that need to be protected and kept open, so they can support the physical and mental wellbeing of millions as we face both the depths of winter and this next stage in our battle with COVID-19.” ukactive has also been in regular dialogue with the governments
in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, as the four nations look to stem the tide of the Omicron variant of Covid-19. ukactive recently wrote to the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, and the Secretaries of State for DCMS, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Department of Health and Social Care, and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities – setting out the position of the sector and the impact of restrictions. The letters follow the publication by the ukactive Research Institute of the most comprehensive safety data from the sector in Europe, showing extremely low rates of Covid-19 among people who have visited facilities – just an overall rate of 0.83 cases per 100,000 visits (from 12 April 2021 to 21 November 2021). In its messages to government, ukactive showed exactly why the UK needs the sector to be fully operational after Christmas in order to ensure the population is supported to maintain its physical and mental health during winter, when poor conditions mean exercise outdoors is not an option for many. The sector was previously recognised as providing an essential
service when it was permitted to reopen at the earliest possible stage during Step 2 of the Government’s roadmap in April. Tara Dillon, CEO of CIMSPA, added: “It is extremely important that we see clarity and support for the sport and physical activity workforce, going into the crucial New Year period. “This professional workforce plays a vital role in supporting the health of the nation, and many were hit hard by previous restrictions. “Many facilities and providers are already facing staff shortages, so it is essential that the Government does everything it can to support them, and the sector as a whole.” There are around 7,000 gyms, pools and leisure facilities across the UK, employing more than 189,000 fulltime staff, 60,000 self-employed or freelance staff, such as PTs. Together, they serve more than 17 million people from a broad and diverse range of communities, including more than 10 million members. In addition to sport and fitness services, the sector also provides vital health services, such as 66 per cent of the nation’s cancer rehabilitation and prehabilitation services.
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Emerging fitness and wellness trends SPECIALIST health and fitness PR agency Action Group rounds ups the emerging fitness trends to look out for in 2022: Personalised pocket PTs Fitness apps must produce results By 2023, 900 million people are expected to be using a fitness app. Fitness Apps that want to succeed in this space will need to stand out from the crowd. “They will need a strong community and a clear purpose,” said Steve Clarke, CEO of WithU, the audio-led fitness app which removes the visual stimulus to help create personal connection and keep users focused. “Studies have shown that most fitness apps fail to produce results, leading to user drop-off, so apps that want to be successful in 2022 and beyond must find a way to ensure their users achieve what they set out too.” Golden era Digital fitness perfect for octogenarians Digital fitness products are still by and large, aimed at the under 40s, but there is a huge interest in this market from people well into their 50s, 60s and beyond. Testament to this is Monique Eastwood’s hugely successful Eastwood Movement Method. Celebrity trainer to Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci, Monique, 54, offers online workouts specifically designed for all age groups but with a particular focus on what’s important to remain injury free and strong as we age. Far from the chair-based workouts of old, Monique’s sessions focus on rediscovering the power of movement at a level of intensity designed to push everyone to work hard. “I believe in multi-directional movement to keep the body challenged and strong,” she said. “My method is tried and tested across all the age groups, without having to suffer through stationary moves.” Move better Mobility is king “2022 will be the year of movement,” said Adam Ridler, Master Trainer from
via digital platforms too.” MoreYoga’s model means affordable fitness has reached a higher standard, with more choice and support, without it costing the earth.
Ten Health and Fitness. Consumers are beginning to recognise the benefits that just moving your body through its intend range of motion can bring. “Our bodies were never designed to sit, slouch or hunch for extended periods, yet that’s exactly what modern life does. “At Ten we’ve seen a big increase in our Pilates classes and anecdotally a much greater interest in sessions which focus on increasing range of motion.” Power to employees Corporate wellness steps up Five years ago, corporate wellness meant a free fruit bowl in the office kitchen. Today, employees are actively questioning employers about their corporate wellness policies; Gympass’ research shows that 77 per cent of employees believe it’s ‘important that their employer provides affordable wellness options’, and the answer to that is affecting their decision to join a company or not. Corporate wellness offerings have become increasingly important to businesses of all shapes and sizes with whole departments created to head up the initiatives. Luke Bullen, UK CEO of Gympass, the world’s largest corporate wellbeing
platform, said: “Wellbeing initiative are no longer a tick-box service, the best employers are recognising the huge and essential benefits that the right programme can bring from a more contented and productive workforce, to a more efficient and profitable business overall.”
Revival of live The class experience you just can’t get enough of Once just the preserve of mums after the school run, group fitness is now transcending the age categories and proving as popular with everyone from teenagers to octogenarians. With its latest data, showing fitness class attendance is at 120 per cent of pre-Covid levels in markets where restrictions have lifted, global group exercise brand Les Mills proves that there has been a worldwide renewed appetite for group fitness. “Much like bars, restaurants and sports events, fitness is experiencing a real ‘live revival’, as people make up for lost time with a renewed appreciation for realworld social settings,” said Phillip Mills, Les Mills founder and executive director. “Many people have missed the thrill of a busy class and the extra motivation you get from working out with others while being led by a rockstar Instructor.”
Affordable flows for all Making yoga an accessible tool for all The popularity of yoga has reached its pinnacle. Over the course of the pandemic, many revelled in the nurturing principles of the practice and have continued to work it into their lives to find physical and mental equilibrium. Although yoga was previously perceived as something only the elite could afford, MoreYoga is a brand determined to shake up the market and make high quality practice accessible to the masses, in studio and only. “More than ever, we want to ensure every person has access to high quality but affordable fitness and wellbeing tools,” said CEO and co-founder Shamir Sidhu. “That’s why we will continue to roll out more studios with the lowest possible membership prices, and why we’ll prioritise making online yoga and mental health support available virtually
Train smart not hard Time efficient training for a hectic lifestyle One of the most advanced and effective tools on the market, ElectroMuscular Stimulation Training is paving the way as one of the most efficient exercise forms to reach your desired fitness goals. Through sending a finely tuned electrical signal to the muscles, causing them to contract, EMS Training activates an incredible 98 per cent of muscle fibres versus 60 per cent through conventional strength training. Also, unlike conventional methods, EMS Training can target all the major muscle groups simultaneously, making it an unrivalled form of full body exercise. Fitting seamlessly into any busy schedule, only one 20-minute session a week is needed to see real results. Whether that be muscle growth, fat loss, enhanced sports performance, the list goes on, EMS Training can help do it all.
Operator wins award for putting people first THE Gym Group has won national acclaim for its innovative response to supporting its employees’ health and well-being through the weight of the challenges felt by the fitness industry caused by the pandemic. The 24/7 gym brand which manages 196 gyms across the country and has its headquarters located in Croydon was named the winner for the Most Innovative Response to Covid-19 in the Engagement Excellence Awards 2021. The annual awards ceremony honours companies across all sectors and industries which are leading the way in improving standards of excellence, creating positive working cultures and environments for its teams to thrive. The independent judging panel were impressed by The Gym Group’s holistic approach in rolling out an effective programme of people-first activity during a period of major
Ann-Marie Murphy uncertainty and enforced gym closures. With up to 95 per cent of its workforce furloughed including its network of self-employed fitness trainers, The Gym Group focused on
understanding the challenges and impact the demands of the pandemic were having on its individual employees. Investment and dedicated resources from tailored learning and development activity, home schooling and rent support as well as individual communication and recognition programmes helped the team to remain healthy and engaged ready to aid the nation back to better health within the fitness sector once gyms were allowed to open. Ann-Marie Murphy, chief people officer at The Gym Group, said: “We are delighted to receive this recognition for the continued support everyone at The Gym Group demonstrated during what was a challenging 24 months. “We pride ourselves on being a people first business. This has been key to our continued success and what drove our business decisions throughout the pandemic. What is
most pleasing is that by delivering a programme of activity to support people’s individual needs and wellbeing, a recent staff survey has shown that the team feel proud and are committed to helping The Gym Group recover as a business.” The Most Innovative Response to Covid-19 Award recognised those who delivered the most innovative approach to reacting to the unique challenges that the Covid-19 pandemic threw at the organisation. The competition was tough, and judges were looking for organisations who innovated how they work, connect, recognise, and support their people, delivering results that were most meaningful for their company. Winners of the Employment Engagement Awards were selected from hundreds of applicants by an independent judging panel of skilled benefits and reward professionals across industries..
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Lockdown launched operator set to expand to shake-up women’s health BBM Fitness founder Becky Barrett has expanded her first fitness management agency one year after launch to cover London and Manchester (December 2021). Becky, 42, offers a roster of qualified trainers across personal training, HIIT, yoga, pilates and strength training sessions at-home, outdoors and online, with a focus on boosting women’s confidence and engagement with fitness as a lifestyle choice. Pushed by her own experiences in health and fitness plus recent client focus, the founder believes that the impact on women’s mental health since the pandemic means there is an inadvertent risk of isolation from existing fitness industry cultures that aren’t inclusive to women’s needs. A recent YouGov poll found that women, alongside young people, have taken the hardest psychological hit from the pandemic – but few people anywhere are considering changing their lives as a result of it. Becky thinks this calls for ‘clear leadership in the fitness industry and an opportunity to innovate, develop new products that meet the needs of changing lives’. As part of her expansion into
the North West, she is conducting a survey of women’s experiences with health and fitness since the pandemic, with a view to looking at the long-term impact in attitudes towards integrating fitness into life and new challenges faced. Becky said: “When I had the opportunity to expand BBM Fitness into the North West I wanted to seize the opportunity to do things differently. “Since the pandemic, women’s
physical and mental health has deteriorated significantly, and I’ve seen this present increased barriers for women engaging with traditional fitness infrastructures like general gyms, plus Zoom fatigue for impersonal classes. “There is an inherent issue that presents itself when women lose confidence through experiences such as increased stress, managing home and work, home-schooling, being time poor, working from home at the dining room table and going through the menopause. “It compounds feelings of lack of control and feeling empowered to make choices that best serve an individual woman’s needs, and fitness falls off the priority list. “I’m determined to use my own experience of the perimenopause plus my knowledge of managing the fitness of women throughout my fitness career to create bespoke and tailored sessions that don’t just increase physical wellbeing but builds confidence and self esteem.” Becky’s top tips for prioritising women’s health needs during a fitness session: n Ask your client about how they feel. Be prepared to change your plans if
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there has been a particularly stressful week or demands. n Be flexible. Offering flexible timings, workouts and bookings will save your client time and allow for more opportunities to engage regularly with exercise. n Educate yourself on the symptoms that women experience during their monthly cycle, perimenopause or menopause, plus further physical pain or changes women may experience such as endometriosis to get to know your client and break taboos around women’s health. n If you do sessions in a gym, consider how you can make the space feel welcoming to women, allow an opportunity to meet likeminded people and even build a community and support groups. n Don’t be afraid to ask questions about mental health. n Consider age specific factors to maximise impact and performance. As part of the expansion, Becky is keen to expand her roster of trainers in the Manchester area and is inviting trainers with a passion for championing women’s health needs to get in touch. She will be running new sessions in Manchester from January.
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