Leisure operator Everyone Active celebrates five awards at ukactive Awards 2024, including top honours for National Centre and Outstanding Organisation of the Year.

Everyone Active is celebrating a major milestone after securing five wins at the prestigious ukactive Awards on Thursday 3rd October, including National Centre of the Year and Outstanding Organisation of the Year. These awards highlight Everyone Active’s quality of facilities and ongoing commitment to excellence in community health and wellbeing.

The ukactive Awards celebrate the best of the physical activity sector and are designed to recognise excellence and innovation across health, wellbeing and fitness. A not-for-profit body, ukactive comprises members and partners from across the active lifestyle sector.

Everyone Active manages more than 235 leisure facilities and cultural services in partnership with more than 68 local authorities. Across its portfolio, the operator welcomes more than 65 million visits each year and prides itself on providing facilities which are accessible to all ages and abilities.

The company’s growth over recent years has been achieved through its ability to deliver well managed leisure facilities, support local communities and work in partnership with local authorities to achieve their strategic priorities for health and wellbeing. Everyone Active is leading the way in demonstrating the vital role of integrating physical activity within healthcare pathways.

Silksworth Community Pool, Tennis and Wellness Centre, managed in partnership with Sunderland City Council, was named ‘National Club/Centre of the Year’ at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham, having earlier triumphed in the ‘Regional Club/Centre of the Year – North’ category.

Everyone Active’s achievement of ‘Outstanding Organisation of the Year’ is a recognition of its wide-reaching impact, from local partnerships to elite-level sports facility management Over the past year, the company has also celebrated new business wins including London Aquatics Centre, South Derbyshire, Central Bedfordshire and North Herts.

The final ukactive awards wins were achieved for Hucknall Leisure Centre and Flitwick Leisure Centre, winning Regional Centre of the Year Midlands and London respectively.

Everyone Active’s Managing Director, David Bibby, said: 'It’s a huge honour to win five ukactive Awards and this reflects the hard work and dedication our colleagues have put in over the past year. The awards are a fitting recognition of all the hard work both in the centres that won, and throughout the rest of the organisation.'

Cllr Beth Jones, Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Tourism at Sunderland City Council, said: 'It’s brilliant to see Silksworth winning this prestigious national award. The centre plays a key role in supporting both the physical and mental health of our residents and is a real asset to the community. Well done to everyone who has worked so hard to make the centre the success story that it is. They should be rightly proud.'

The new year will see Everyone Active continue its growth period, as the company takes over the operation of Sheffield’s sports and leisure venues, including three centres of excellence. The contract will run from January 2025 and includes the English Institute of Sport (EISS), one of England’s seven high performance centres that provides facilities specifically designed for elite athletes. It's also home to several National Governing Bodies and sporting organisations, as well as community gym and indoor athletics facilities.

Some of the country’s most successful athletes have trained at the venue, including former Olympic champion heptathlete, Jessica Ennis Hill. The new partnership will further strengthen Everyone Active’s legacy in supporting elite sports and enhance its leading talent development scheme, Sporting Champions. The scheme currently supports more than 1,400 athletes nationwide, and is led by Elite ambassadors and Team GB athletes, Maisie Summers-Newton, Richard Kilty and Lauren Steadman.

Mr Bibby added: 'As a business, we share a commitment with our local authority partners to deliver sustainable solutions, resulting in local economic benefits, social value, regeneration and carbon reduction.

'We’re proud to be recognised for the role we play in supporting local communities. By identifying the barriers to physical activity, we provide solutions that improve health and wellbeing outcomes, helping to build more resilient neighbourhoods.'

For example, Everyone Active’s leisure provision in Havering has delivered over £11 million of social value, making it one of the key players in reducing the borough’s health inequalities.

Using Everyone Active member data, the Social Value Calculator (SVC), developed by 4global in partnership with Sheffield Hallam University and Experian, determined the social value created by investment in sport and physical activity.

These indicators include physical and mental health outcomes, mental wellbeing, individual development including educational attainment and social and community development.

The SVC applies a monetary value to an activity or outcome, representing ‘value for money’ based on the wider benefits it brings to local communities.

For further information on Everyone Active, visit www.everyoneactive.com or if you require specific information, please email: pr@everyoneactive.com

This article was sponsored by Everyone Active.