Warsop Health Hub.

Warsop Health Hub was developed to address long-standing health inequalities, inactivity and poor access to local leisure and wellbeing services in Warsop, North Nottinghamshire. Following the closure of Meden Sports Centre in 2018, the community was left without local opportunities to swim, exercise or take part in organised activity.

Research and consultation undertaken by Strategic Leisure identified significant local challenges. Around 25% of residents live with a limiting long-term illness, life expectancy for men is seven years below the England average, and 64% of the ward lives within health deprivation hotspots. Childhood obesity and smoking rates also sit well above national averages.

Extensive community consultation led by Strategic Leisure revealed strong demand for an affordable, welcoming health hub focused on wellbeing, social connection and accessible activity rather than a traditional leisure centre. Working closely with Mansfield District Council, Warsop Parish Council, Active Notts and Vibrant Warsop, the project was shaped directly around local needs.

Delivered by Alliance Leisure on behalf of Mansfield District Council, the £9.1 million development was the first project completed using Sport England’s Leisure Local concept design guidance which promotes smaller, community-focused activity facilities located close to where people live.

The development was made possible through a combination of local investment, external funding and national support, bringing the total project cost to £9.1 million. The council contributed £1.5 million from its own reserves, alongside £2.8 million secured through borrowing. External funding included £3 million from the Towns Fund and £1.8 million from Sport England. In addition, a grant of £103,997 was awarded through the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ Changing Places programme.

Warsop Health Hub has become a vital asset for the town with participation levels exceeding targeted outcomes.

The facility has also achieved national recognition, winning Build, Design or Refurbishment of the Year at the ukactive Awards 2025.

As the first facility delivered using the Leisure Local concept, Warsop Health Hub combines leisure, wellbeing and community activity in a single location, offering:

• 15m x 8m four-lane swimming pool with easy access steps, pool pod and hoist
• Water familiarisation splash play area
• 30-station gym
• Multipurpose hall with storage
• Changing village
• Lobby and reception desk
• Community room and kitchen
• Café and viewing area
• IT suite

Accessibility and inclusion was central to the vision for Warsop Health Hub, shaping every aspect of its design and operation to create an inclusive community space suitable for people of all ages and abilities.

Accessible parking, convenient drop off areas and automatic sliding entrance doors ensure easy access for users, supported by step-free access throughout. Inside, the open-plan layout is designed to inspire activity and engagement with views from the foyer and café into key spaces including the pool hall and splash zone, multipurpose hall, gym and community room. 

Particular attention was given to the wetside facilities. The swimming pool is fully inclusive with easy-access steps alongside a pool pod and hoist, ensuring that everyone can enjoy the water. This is complemented by a spacious changing village, which includes accessible changing rooms and toilets, as well as a dedicated Changing Places facility with both dryside and poolside access, supporting a wide range of user needs.

Throughout the building, thoughtful design details enhance usability. Colour-contrasting finishes and fittings assist those with visual impairments, while lower reception counters and vanity units ensure accessibility for wheelchair users. Circulation spaces have been designed to accommodate wheelchairs, with wide doorways following Sport England design guidance, including enlarged access to the multi-purpose hall for sports wheelchair users alongside supporting facilities including an enlarged sports wheelchair accessible toilet.

Outside, the car park prioritises pedestrian access, while there is good provision for cycle parking and links with public transport.

Warsop Health Hub was designed with a strong focus on sustainability, operational efficiency and long-term resilience. The all-electric facility adopts a fabric-first approach, using high-performance insulation, triple glazing and airtight construction to reduce energy demand and operational costs.

Key features include:

• An all-electric facility;
• Air source heat pumps
• Solar photovoltaic panels including future proofing for full PV array
• LED lighting
• High insulation values
• Heat recovery systems as part of mechanical and pool installation
• Low-flow water fittings
• Electric car charging points
• Water attenuation scheme (funded by Severn Trent Water’s flood prevention scheme)

The building achieved an EPC A(6) rating, outperforming predicted carbon and energy targets.

The hub currently includes a 10kW rooftop solar PV array, with plans approved to expand this to 120kW in 2026, generating an estimated 96,000kWh annually and further reducing operating costs.

The project also delivers wider environmental benefits through a sustainable urban drainage scheme funded by Severn Trent Water, helping reduce local flood risk. In addition, 1,500 trees were planted in nearby Carr Lane Park, alongside a further 2,000 trees and hedgerows delivered through the Trees for Climate initiative to support biodiversity net gain and enhance local green space.

An outstanding 16% of the local community now holds some form of membership at Warsop Health Hub, and the Hub has been received exceptionally well by locals of all demographics.

The Hub has performed considerably above targets from the start. In the first eight weeks it recorded:

• Membership sales: 627 actual vs 480 projected
• Swim lessons: 193 actual vs 161 projected
• Casual swim: £6,000 actual vs £5,250 projected
• Dryside: £15,200 actual vs £4,250 projected

Unlike other Mansfield District Council leisure centres managed by Serco Leisure and More Leisure Community Trust, Warsop Health Hub operates under a unique partnership model. More Leisure works closely with Vibrant Warsop and its community network to deliver and expand programmes of community-focused activities. As part of this ethos, Vibrant Warsop has access to 12 hours per week of free use of the centre’s facilities.

Swimming provision is particularly important to the community. Since the Hub opened, Year 6 school swimming attainment has risen from 40% to 80%.

The Hub also hosts a wide range of local groups and initiatives including:

• Small Steps to Feeling Great Walking for Inactive People programme
• School swimming intensives and term-time programmes
• Vibrant Warsop’s six weekly community classes
• Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme that attracts high numbers of SEND children and those with complex lifestyles
• Mansfield Town Community Trust Walking Football
• Edwinstowe Chiropractic and Spinal Health Clinic sessions
• Line dancing, table tennis, Old Geezers football and family swim sessions in partnership with Warsop Family Hub

Warsop Health Hub is delivering significant social value for the community. In 2025, it delivered £487,950 in social value, equating to £260 social value per person, which is higher than the national average of £230.

The facility also provides employment opportunities with 75% of all the centre’s employees hailing from Warsop, with the remaining 25% all living in the district of Mansfield demonstrating the value of the centre to the local community.