The Active Leisure Trends article published in the October edition of Health Club Management (p56) highlighted how local authorities are redeveloping their leisure centres to take advantage of the latest consumer trends.
I couldn’t agree with its author, Dr Steve Mann, more. There are many benefits to be reaped from looking closely at the services leisure centres are providing and this is exactly why Lancaster City Council decided to invest £5million in the refurbishment of Salt Ayre Leisure Centre.
The centre first opened its doors in 1992 as a traditional ‘municipal’ sports centre, with a fitness suite following in 1997. However, the next 10 years saw a swift decline in the popularity of some of the more traditional sports such as badminton and netball.
As a result, there was a steep reduction in occupancy rates and the growth of competition from the private sector – all of which boasted new and better facilities – impacted on the fitness suite.
The phrase ‘innovate or die’ became extremely relevant as the centre entered a spiral of decline, with decreasing income, mounting costs and a falling customer base. Fortunately, we also recognised that there was a great opportunity on offer if we could tap into the latest trends.
By investing in the centre and providing leisure-based facilities wanted by young people and families, including a climbing wall and soft play, we could create an offer that would benefit the whole community.
But we couldn’t do this alone and needed the expertise of a development partner – Alliance Leisure.
This approach has already started to pay dividends with a 72 per cent increase in customer visits.