In recognition for an outstanding deliverance of transformational projects that create engaging active environments and support healthy, happy, and prosperous communities, Alliance Leisure has been named Supplier of the Year at the prestigious, national, ukactive awards.
Over the last 20 years, we have worked in partnership with local authorities up and down the country, designing, procuring and developing leisure transformations that deliver huge community value. During this time, the company has delivered 192 projects representing investment of more £250 million. Projects have ranged from pump tracks and 3G pitches to multiple facilities across entire leisure portfolios. Every project is unique and designed to address the bespoke needs of the community it serves.
Earlier this year, Alliance Leisure also extended its tenure as Lead Development Partner on the UK Leisure Framework, owned and managed by Denbighshire Leisure. This will ensure public sector leisure providers can continue to invest efficiently and effectively in their leisure stock, both now and in the future.
Alliance Leisure welcomes the recent release of ukactive’s strategy setting out its milestones to achieve Vision 2030. As a long-standing Strategic Partner we fully support the ambition to secure long-term investment in order to support infrastructure sustainability, and to navigate and access health funding and systems.
As a leading leisure specialist development partner, we are uniquely placed to see the benefit of infrastructure investment in the sector. Since the call for a £1bn investment in the industry Alliance has completed or is now at an advanced stage of development of £300m of new and remodelled facilities. Positioning leisure firmly at the heart of regeneration, along with Levelling Up and Towns Deal placement, we are committed to the vision.
Vision 2030 also aims to ensure that there is ring-fenced investment for strategically designed sport and physical activity-based interventions through the plan for Health and Social Care. Working with Abbeycroft Leisure we have recently developed three leisure facilities that have delivered a range of health and social care benefits, ranging from sensory rooms and improved disability access, through to therapy rooms and clinics providing for community healthcare professionals such as district nurses and physiotherapists. Improving the health and wellbeing of the nation is a key focus of government in addition to addressing health inequalities, as outlined in its recent Levelling Up White Paper. Building relationships with health delivery partners and investing in fit-for-purpose facilities which meet both the leisure and health needs of local people is the only way we can realistically address the public health challenges of our time and build a healthier future.
Abbeycroft Leisure Facility Developments
Supporting children, young people and families to make activity a life habit is another way the strategy will achieve the mission of more people, more active, more often. In 2021 Alliance Leisure supported the ukactive in the production of the Active Families Report which outlined the opportunities for increasing family physical activity levels. In addition, the development of Sport England’s new 10 year strategy, and ‘Positive Experiences for Children and Young People’ as one of the 5 big issues is testament to the importance of providing activity provision now that can cater for families with children of all ages. Alliance Leisure have responded to this call for improved family activities with many recent projects including active family facilities. Notably, King George Playing Fields in Brentwood was a £7m investment in various facilities including a new splash pad, outdoor adventure play, TAGactive arena and sensory room.
King George Playing Fields, Brentwood
And finally, Vision 2030 intends to deliver insight-led, inclusive and targeted campaigns to drive engagement in physical activity. Alliance Leisure are ideally placed to support this ambition through our support team TA6. In 2021 TA6 was directly responsible for delivering marketing campaigns that generated over 50,000 membership sales (worth around £15m of revenue) across 70 leisure operators in the UK. In just the last 12 months, our digital adverts have generated over 100 million impressions to an estimated 10 million people (approx. 19% of the UK adult population), resulting in almost 1 million visitors to our clients’ websites. Alliance Leisure will continue to promote health, wellbeing and physical activity in order to assist in the vision to engage 20% of the population by 2030.
Five years after embarking on ukactive’s Future Leaders programme, Seb Rowe has joined Alliance Leisure to deliver the next generation of sports and physical activity spaces.
In the summer of 2017, I along with other professionals from the physical activity sector, took a trip of a lifetime to Barcelona’s leading IESE Business School. The week-long course was designed to meet the specific needs of physical activity sector operators and suppliers and equip participants with the skills and tools to drive the sector’s future growth.
I was working in business development for Life Leisure at the time. Malcolm Mcphail, the then CEO, suggested I join the Future Leaders programme not only for my own professional development, but for the wider benefit of Life Leisure.
We studied from 7am to 7pm every day, developing solutions to real-world challenges. It was tough, but it was incredible. The tools and techniques that I learned during that week I still use in my work today. It was a brilliant experience. And beyond all of the practical learning, it’s something I will remember for the rest of my life.
That week in Barcelona was only the start of what proved to be a continual learning experience encompassing mentoring, events and ongoing engagement. The Future Leaders alumni still exists today and despite being out of the sector for a while, I continue to benefit from that shared connection with industry colleagues.
The alumni has allowed me to build lasting relationships, learn alongside other people in the industry and lean on others for advice and information. It’s been invaluable for my career.
I worked for Life Leisure for 11 and a half years. In 2020 I left to join the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman as Programme Manager. But sport and physical activity has always been a big part of my life, so when I saw an opportunity to come back to the sector, I didn’t hesitate.
Alliance Leisure has a great reputation, and after talking to the senior leadership team I understood their vision and knew I wanted to be a part of the organisation.
I’m working alongside some very talented people. The culture has really impressed me; Alliance has a glass half full mentality and are always questioning what they need to do to grow and improve. It’s very refreshing.
I’m getting the chance to observe projects at different stages of development, understand the challenges in delivering these projects and how we can overcome them – it’s what Alliance calls ‘the art of the possible’. I’m looking forward to the day when I can see a leisure development through from beginning to conclusion.
As a former footballer, I experienced my fair share of good and not so good public sports and leisure facilities as I played my way up through the ranks. I have personal experience of the value of good quality public sector facilities. It’s encouraging to see local authorities investing in centres that make a long term positive impact on local people and communities. I’m thankful that the ukactive’s Future Leaders programme has helped me get to where I am today so I can work with public sector partners to deliver centres that make a real difference to people’s lives.
The government’s recent Levelling Up White Paper has been met with a mixed response, with many lamenting the lack of new funding specifically for leisure and others criticising the 10 year timescale as too long.
Whatever your views, it’s clear that something needs to be done to improve opportunities and to reduce regional disparities to make the UK a more equitable place to live, particularly as many of these inequalities have been exacerbated by the pandemic.
The paper sets out 12 missions to support the government’s levelling up objectives. These include narrowing the gap in health life expectancy – people living in the most deprived communities in England have up to 18 years less of their lives in good general health than the least deprived – and improving wellbeing in every area of the UK by 2030.
Sport and physical activity has a critical role to play in these areas as well as the wider levelling up agenda. At Alliance, we are working with local authorities using sport and physical activity as a vehicle to effect positive change in their communities. Authorities who are investing in new and improved facilities that not only actively seek to reduce local health disparities, but also contribute to the physical fabric of their community and provide a sense of civic pride – another of the White Paper’s 12 missions.
Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council is one such authority. The council is investing in a multi-million pound swimming pool and leisure centre for Halifax after securing money from the government’s Levelling Up Fund. A key part of the Calderdale Next Chapter transformation programme, the new Halifax Leisure Centre will combine Halifax Swimming Pool and North Bridge Leisure Centre into a single, flagship facility on the existing North Bridge Leisure Centre site, which sits in one of the Borough’s most densely populated and deprived areas.
Approximately 27,000 people in Halifax live in one of the UK’s 10 per cent most deprived communities, which forms the main catchment area for the project and represents 31 per cent of the total population.
The new centre will significantly enhance the quality of the leisure offer in Halifax while safeguarding vital facilities which deliver health and wellbeing benefits. With a central location and benefiting from improved connectivity thanks to new bus and railway stations plus improved highway links, the new centre is a prime example of how sport and physical activity can help drive wider regeneration.
The venue complements other on-going projects within the town centre to increase footfall, aiding the local economy’s pandemic recovery and addressing borough-wide priorities to reduce inequalities, grow the economy and build a sustainable future.
And, as an attractive new facility, Halifax Leisure Centre will be an important asset for the town, promoting a sense of ownership and civic pride amongst the local population.
Similarly, in East Lindsey, the Town’s Fund is seeing millions of pounds invested into the east coast with £12m to be spent in Mablethorpe as part of exciting plans that Alliance Leisure are supporting for the development of a new leisure and learning hub. Incorporating a range of leisure facilities, including a fitness suite and 25m swimming pool as well as community and digital learning spaces, this facility will serve the community not just as a place to get fit and stay healthy but also to meet others and learn.
This is levelling up in action, with sport and physical activity at the very heart of plans to tackle health inequalities, improve wellbeing and encourage pride of place.
If you would like to find out how we can help you unlock your community’s potential contact us today.
A two-year project to deliver a brand new, modern leisure centre that meets the modern needs of its diverse community has opened its doors in Swanley, Kent.
The development, managed by Alliance Leisure, employed ISG as construction partner and was procured by Sevenoaks District Council through the UK Leisure Framework, owned and managed by Denbighshire Leisure.
Described by the Leader of the Council as a ‘historic investment’, the new centre replaces an inefficient centre of the same name built in the 1960s and creates an activity hub that meet the hugely diverse needs of modern society.
“It’s fantastic to see this centre finally open its doors” says Tom Fairey, Senior Business Development Manager, Alliance Leisure. Designed by architects, Saunders Boston, the new centre provides an environmentally responsible activity hub for everyone to enjoy.
Wet side, the development incorporates two pools – a 25 metre, six lane pool with an adjustable height floor plus a learner pool – ideal for hosting the centre’s full programme of children’s swimming lessons. Both pools are supported by a family changing village.
In addition there is a 100 station gym, with mainly Technogym equipment a modern group cycling studio, two large Group Exercise Studios and a multi-purpose sports hall for a wide range of activities and clubs.
For families and young people, a dedicated soft play area entertains the younger ages whilst TAGactive, a challenging gamified obstacle course develops strategic thinking, speed, agility, balance and spatial awareness.
There is also a dedicated Feel Good Suite featuring power-assisted equipment for people with limited mobility, the elderly and those managing long-term conditions.
The centre offers a modern café to serve all the activity areas along with fantastic viewing areas to the pools. The whole centre is built to accommodate everyone, including those with mobility issues. The swimming areas include two ‘Pool Pods’ to aid accessibility and two lifts provide access between floors, and the centre boasts changing places toilets.
Cllr. Peter Flemming, Leader of the Council, at Sevenoaks District Council, says: “This new centre represents the largest public investment for Swanley in over 30 years. Designed to support everyone in the community, across their entire life journey, this facility offers a sustainable leisure provision that will be enjoyed for generations. The pandemic has really hammered home the mental and physical benefits of an active lifestyle. Through this investment we are committing to encouraging an active community to drive health, happiness and prosperity for all.”
The centre officially opened to the public on Saturday, February 14, 2022 and will be managed by Everyone Active.
To kick off 2022, Alliance Leisure is pleased to announce the appointment of industry heavy-weight, Jonny Curley, to drive leisure development across Scotland.
Jonny Curley will take on the role of Senior Business Development Manager (Scotland) to enhance the company’s ability to develop and deliver its existing pipeline of leisure projects and future development plans. Located in Glasgow, Jonny will utilise his industry experience and extensive network to further enhance the company’s progress in Scotland while supporting on other projects UK wide.
Commenting on the appointment, Alliance Leisure’s Managing Director, Paul Cluett, says: “Jonny has been involved with many Alliance projects as a supplier over the years and we have always enjoyed working with him and been aware of his similar work ethic and values. Now the timing is right for him to join us and we are delighted to welcome him into the business.
“Alliance Leisure is already playing a significant role in leisure development across Scotland, thanks mainly to our growing network of local authorities and involvement in the Scottish Leisure Network Group. Bringing Jonny onboard means we can continue to build on these foundations and become an even more integral component of future leisure development across the region.”
Jonny brings with him over 25 years of leisure experience. In 2010, he joined Origin Fitness as a Director and co-owner playing a key role in developing the business over a ten-year period. More recently, he joined Hutchinson Technologies as Sales Director. Both roles were with Scottish based companies, positioning Jonny as one of the most experienced and accomplished industry leaders in the region.
With a passion for driving success through the creation and management of a strong and positive company culture, Jonny also sits on the CIMSPA Scotland Professional Development Board and also the Scottish Leisure Network Group.
Jonny says: “A strong leisure provision has the potential to drive health, happiness and prosperity across entire communities and I am looking forward to using my network and expertise to help Alliance Leisure develop leisure spaces and centres throughout Scotland. Over the years, I have worked with Alliance Leisure on a number of projects and have always been impressed by the dedication, professionalism and expertise of the team. When an opportunity was presented for me to become a part of that team, I jumped at it.”
Alliance Leisure is proud to announce the launch of Active Families, an exploration of the vital role that family life plays in a child’s exposure to physical activity and the positive contribution purpose built facilities can play on the journey. The report has been compiled in partnership with ukactive and is available to download now.
“During the pandemic families faced huge challenges but there were some positives to emerge,” says Sarah Watts, CEO, Alliance Leisure. “According to Sport England research, 21 per cent of 7-16 year olds reported they were more active as a family during lockdown.1 This is encouraging news and highlights the important role that family can play in helping young people reach physical activity targets.
“Active Families shines a light on two important factors. Firstly, it explores the many benefits of family physical activity, whilst also highlighting barriers to participation and how they can be overcome. It also looks at a child’s physical development needs at various stages of their life and how these needs are answered by the current activity provision.
“Secondly, the report showcases Alliance’s work with TAGactive to evidence how innovative physical activity solutions can provide positive and viable activity choices to families and encourage them to exercise regularly together.
“We are very pleased to have contributed to this important piece of work. As childhood obesity continues to rise and many schools struggle to deliver the Chief Medical Officer’s recommended daily physical activity target, the role of the family in helping children to achieve physical literacy is more critical than ever. Developing accessible family focused facilities that inspire movement can encourage the formation of habits and values that are likely to carry into adulthood, safeguarding the health and wellbeing of our future generations.”
Reference
1 Sport England (2020) Children’s experience of physical activity in lockdown https://www.thinkactive.org/wp-content/ uploads/2020/07/Sport-England-Childrens-experience-of- physical-activity.pdf
