Mytime Active delivers £17 million worth of social value in just one year

Local social enterprise, Mytime Active, generated a social value in excess of £17 million for its neighbourhood economies last year.

 

That’s almost £100 of social value – the term used to describe the health, wellbeing, educational and social benefits experienced through physical activity – delivered back to the boroughs for every person that used Mytime Active’s services between April 2023 and March 2024. Social value is a key measure of how charitable and leisure operators contribute back to their local areas.

 

Mytime Active manages a range of health and wellbeing facilities and services across the country, including leisure centres, swimming pools, golf courses, local health hubs and community halls. As an independent charity, Mytime Active doesn’t have shareholders to pay, which means it reinvests any profits back into its services and the local community.

 

The social value report shows Mytime Active contributed more than £4 million worth of savings across eight different physical and mental health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, dementia, hip fractures, coronary heart disease and breast cancer, based on reduced risk and prevention, as well as a reduction in GP visits and psychotherapy sessions. More specifically, they contributed to £1.2m of savings around type 2 diabetes and dementia alone, and almost a million saved in costs relating to hip fractures.

 

 

Jason Stanton, CEO at Mytime Active, explains: “Social value is a key measure to help understand how participation in physical activity is improving health and educational attainment, and reducing crime. It is calculated by combining nationwide leisure operator data with academic research to demonstrate, in monetary terms, the value physical activity is making to the local community.

 

“For instance, if the prevalence rate for coronary heart disease or stroke in a particular age group declines in an area, and people in that age group are doing physical exercise, the social value is calculated by the savings to the public health system. Similarly, if crime rates drop in an area where 10 to 24-year-old males are involved in sport and physical activity, the social value is based on the savings to the probation and rehabilitation services.”

 

Improvements in subjective wellbeing

Subjective wellbeing relates to the increase in life satisfaction that being part of Mytime Active creates within its communities. Almost £9 million of social value was placed against Mytime Active in this area. The trust is also recognised for having a positive impact on social and community development.

 

A further £4 million was assigned towards Mytime Active’s help in the reduction in crime rates for young males and the social capital identified through improved networks, trust and reciprocity.

 

Stanton continues:

“At Mytime Active we are passionate about supporting our local community and physical activity is just one part of that. Everything we do is about overall wellbeing; it’s about making small lifestyle changes, including making healthier food choices and building confidence and self-esteem, whilst forming friendships along the way.

 

“That’s what we do so well at Mytime Active. We match our knowledge and experience of health, fitness and wellness with our passion to help people live longer, healthier, happier and more fulfilling lives. You only have to look at these figures – or ask our members – to see the results!”

 

 

The social value figures are calculated by 4global, a world-leading sports and physical activity-focussed technology and professional services company, using its DataHub Social Value Calculator.

 

4global’s DataHub is largest repository for sport and leisure data in the UK and Europe, with participation data fed from more than 2,500 leisure facilities and 820 million visits. It values and measures the social impact of participation in sport nationwide, including the latest research from Sheffield Hallum University and Sport England, which fully aligns it with the UK Government strategy for sport.