Littledown Centre, Bournemouth has been shortlisted for a prestigious fitness industry award, heading off strong competition from across the country to make the finals.
The centre has been shortlisted in the local authority/leisure trust gym of the year at the National Fitness Awards, an annual event which recognises excellence and achievement in gyms throughout the country.
Since 2010, Littledown has been managed by BH Live in partnership with Bournemouth Borough Council.
BH Live is the South Coast’s leading operator of leisure and event venues; a social enterprise that designs and builds engaging experiences to inspire people and enrich lives.
“One of our core objectives is to get more people, more active, by offering an inclusive range of high quality facilities and programmes reaching everyone, regardless of age, ability or background, says Mike Lyons, BH Live’s Director of Leisure Facilities.
“Last year, together with Bournemouth Borough Council, £1.7 million was invested to significantly improve the health and wellbeing facilities. Since then attendance has grown by more than 100,000 visits and, through new programming and activities, we have seen more people visiting more often which is all helping to promote a heathier community.
“Thanks to a range of targeted initiatives piloted at Littledown we are also reaching out to more families and those who are living with health conditions to realise the health and wellbeing benefits of being more active. We are delighted to have been shortlisted and have both BH Live’s and Bournemouth Borough Council’s continued commitment to community health recognised on a national platform.”
The awards are organised by leading fitness industry magazine Workout, with support from headline sponsor ServiceSport. In each category up to seven finalists have been selected, who will now go through to the next stage of the judging process. They will be out to impress by showcasing first-hand the great work going on in their centres.
This stage involves a visit to each finalist by a member of the Workout team who will take a look around the facilities and chat to members and staff before compiling a comprehensive report, which will then be passed on to an expert judging panel to decide the lucky winners.
Trophies will then be handed out at a glittering awards ceremony on Friday 2 December at The Athena in Leicester, which will be hosted by boxing world champion Ricky Hatton and award winning personal trainer and star of The Apprentice Katie Bulmer-Cooke.
National Fitness Awards’ director Judith Halkerston said: “The quality and quantity of National Fitness Awards’ entries just keep improving year on year and everyone who has been shortlisted this year should be really proud of their achievements so far as competition was so strong and standards so high.
“The team is really looking forward to visiting all our shortlisted clubs and seeing some of the great work that is going on in the fitness industry on a daily basis.”
To find out more about Littledown, visit bhliveactive.org.uk
ENDS
Notes to editors
For more information about BH Live please contact:
Elizabeth Symmons, PR & Corporate Communications Executive
E: press.office@bhlive.org.uk
T: (01202) 055562
About Littledown
Littledown is managed and operated by BH Live in partnership with Bournemouth Borough Council.
Set in 47 acres of parkland, Littledown has some of the finest leisure, swimming, football and gym facilities in the country.
Accredited by quality scheme QUEST and Sport England, Littledown is ranked among the top performing leisure centres in the UK.
The centre is also home to clubs including Bournemouth Swimming Academy, Swim Bournemouth, Littledown Juniors Football Club and Play Football leagues.
It attracts more than 1.1 million visits each year, provides nearly 300 weekly fitness classes, has one of the largest gyms in the UK with personal training, an exercise referral and children’s activity programme. The BH Live Active team also works with local health authorities, trusts, education providers and organisations to encourage greater participation in physical activity.
Indoor facilities include a 25-metre swimming pool, 17-metre teaching pool, waterslides, splash pool, spa, steam rooms, sauna, spa baths and sanarium. There is a large sports hall for events and multi-sports including trampolining, badminton, table tennis, football and gymnastics.
The centre also has on-site catering and an Ofsted registered crèche.
Outdoor facilities include the leisure attraction, ALTITUDE High Ropes Adventure at Littledown Park, six floodlit 3G rubber crumb training pitches, grass football pitches, parkland for recreation and events, a cricket pitch and pavilion, lake, paddling pool, children’s playground, outdoor catering outlets, leisure orienteering course and parking.
ALTITUDE has a 2016 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence.
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About BH Live
BH Live is the South Coast’s leading operator of leisure and event venues; a social enterprise that designs and builds engaging experiences to inspire people and enrich lives.
With more than three million visits a year and over £36.5 million turnover, the organisation is changing lives – placing it at the heart of the UK’s growing social economy.
In 2015/16 BH Live hosted more than 500 events, sold over half a million cultural, sporting and entertainment tickets.
They welcomed 2.4 million active participants into its leisure centres and 118,000 conference and exhibition delegates into its venues. This contributed an estimated £66.3 million to the local economy through business and cultural tourism.