News

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20th October 2015

In Gladstone Health & Leisure

Oldham Community Leisure switches to Gladstone

Oldham Community Leisure (OCL) has switched to Gladstone Health & Leisure from its previous software supplier ahead of launching two new sites this autumn. The leisure trust, which operates 11 sports centres, swimming pools and synthetic pitches in Oldham, signed a five-year agreement with Gladstone earlier this year. Peter Howson, head of customer relations at OCL, said: “We chose Gladstone as our new supplier because we knew their software and services could make a real difference to...

15th October 2015

In Quest, Right Directions, Sport England

Quest and NBS continue to head in right direction

The management team behind Quest, the UK quality scheme for sport and leisure, and the National Benchmarking Service (NBS) has had its contract renewed for another three years, Sport England has confirmed. Right Directions, in partnership with Leisure-net Solutions, was first appointed to manage Quest and NBS on behalf of Sport England in September 2010. Both an accreditation and a tool for continuous improvement, Quest defines industry standards and good practice in the sport and leisure sector,...

5th October 2015

In ReferAll

Apprentices appointed at Refer-all

Exercise referral software solutions provider Refer-all has recruited two new Apprentice Software Developers. Freya Brown completed a Level 3 BTEC Diploma in Information Technology at Chichester College. Currently Freya is developing digital methods to bring new clients on board more quickly using her scripting skills. In the future, she will further develop this role as well as overseeing initial testing and deployment. Freya’s interests include electronics, programming, video games and digital artwork. In her spare time she...

30th September 2015

In Oldham Community Leisure

Royton Leisure Centre complete

Oldham’s new state-of-the-art £8million, Royton Leisure Centre, opened to the public on 28 September. Oldham Council, Oldham Community Leisure (OCL), Willmott Dixon and partners came together to celebrate the completion of the facility, which will provide superior leisure activities for the area. The Byron Street-based centre, funded by Oldham Council, will be run by Oldham Community Leisure. Members and casual users will have a variety of facilities to choose from including a six-lane, 25-metre Olympic legacy swimming...

25th September 2015

In Leisure-net, Lifetime Training

Work experience more important than academic qualifications say operators

Work experience is more important than academic qualifications, according to operators taking part in the latest Fitness Industry Confidence Survey. The research, carried out by industry insight specialist Leisure-net Solutions in collaboration with Leisure Industry Week (LIW) and award-winning education provider Lifetime Training, showed work experience was the most important attribute a school leaver could have when applying for a job for 47% of respondents, compared to just 15% saying academic qualifications. Nigel Wallace, Client Services Director...

24th September 2015

In Lifetime Training, Matrix Fitness

Lifetime Training hosts strategic seminar series

Lifetime Training hosted a series of invitation-only seminars on Tuesday 22nd September at The Matrix International Show, which operated alongside LIW 2015. Organised in partnership with Matrix Fitness, the four seminars were headlined under ‘The Theory of Everything’ banner with the keynote session given by CIMSPA’s CEO, Tara Dillon. The round table session focussed on ‘The Sport Strategy – The role of the leisure sector’. With a consultative approach, CIMSPA reviewed the key themes of new sport...

20th September 2015

In Impulse Leisure

Impluse Leisure’s Gym Hub shortlisted for National Fitness Awards

The Gym Hub in Wickford has beaten off competition from hundreds of gyms across the UK to be shortlisted for a prestigious fitness industry award. The national awards are organised by leading fitness industry magazine Workout, with support from headline sponsor ServiceSport, and up to seven finalists have been selected for each category. The Gym Hub will now be visited by a member of the National Fitness Awards’ team who will view the facilities, interview the club...

15th September 2015

In Sport England, sporta

£2million funding boost for local communities to help get women, older people and inactive groups into sport

Areas benefitting from the scheme include: Tadcaster, Newcastle, south Dorset, Exeter, Northampton, County Durham, Lincolnshire, Stockton on Tees, Test Valley, Sheffield, Tandridge, Ashford, Newham, South Downs, Dover and Northumberland. Older people, women, and inactive groups in England are set to benefit from thousands of pounds in funding to help them become more involved in sport. Sport England has teamed up with sporta, whose members manage 40 per cent of community sports, leisure and culture facilities in the...

10th September 2015

In Bigwave media

Bigwave Media expands the team further

Bigwave Media is continuing its eight-year period of growth with the appointment of David Johns as Business Development Manager. Formerly working as a Partnership Development Manager with sport and exercise charity Active Nation, Johns, 54, has enjoyed a long career in sports and exercise management, across public, private and not-for-profit organisations, including DC Leisure (now Places for People Leisure), SLM Everyone Active and Oldham Community Leisure. The new role with Bigwave Media, which has more than 100...

5th September 2015

In Retention Guru, The Gym Group

The Gym Group launches price-based retention model

Retention Guru, Dr. Paul Bedford and Rob Gregory, former global director of member experience at Fitness First, have created a statistical model for The Gym Group to understand the impact of price changes on behaviour and to predict future outcomes for the business. The data model, which included analysis of more than 800,000 member records from 50 of the brand’s gyms across the UK, will enable the company to make strategic decisions about pricing and promotions...