Thousands of Portsmouth residents have been inspired to get active since Portsmouth City Council awarded the contract to manage seven of its leisure, sporting and event venues to BH Live.
BH Live has introduced an exciting new range of pay-as-you-go sport, concessionary and free fitness activities that residents have been snapping up. Portsmouth City Council is delighted with this especially as it fits in with their developing activity strategies that match Sport England’s strategy of ‘moving people from ‘inactivity to activity’.
Children have enjoyed hundreds of free swim sessions. More than 4,000 memberships have been taken out which includes concessionary packages for students, the over 60s and people on low income. Pay-as-you-go visits to gyms have seen a rise too with more than 2,250 attendances.
800 five day activity guest passes have been given to local residents and a quarter of those have gone on to use the venues regularly. In addition, over a hundred people, who are living with a health conditions or illness, have embarked on a subsidised exercise referral scheme. This is helping local people to feel better and manage symptoms through physical activity. Portsmouth Interaction has been incorporated into BH Live’s services to support those in the area living with mental health conditions through activity, creative learning and social opportunities.
Several new classes and activities have increased the programme encouraging more people to get more active. These include Ashtanga Yoga, Boot Camp, Seafront Fitness and BH Live’s unique brand of gym-based classes; Primal, Power, Play and Pulse.
Wet & Wacky, fun pool and play sessions are inspiring more families into the water and local youngsters are learning new skills including dance and performance at new theatre summer school at Mountbatten Leisure Centre.
New gym equipment has been installed at Wimbledon Park and Charter Community Sports Centres and energy saving activities, including new LED schemes at Mountbatten, have completed in partnership with Portsmouth City Council.
Developing participation in sport across the city remains a priority too. BH Live has created a grass roots sports development programme to encourage young people, irrespective of age or background, to benefit from the city’s world class tennis, gymnastics and swimming facilities. Introductory sessions to promote participation are seeing more people showing an interest in sport, getting involved and trying our new activities.
High profile events such as Shock ‘n’ Awe international martial arts and the Touch Tennis at the Unily Masters 2017 have attracted hundreds of spectators and media interest. And the Tennis Centre has received a regional Aegon British Tennis Award in recognition of its all-inclusive disability tennis programme. Pyramids was also highly commended for its contribution to hospitality, tourism and leisure in The News’ Business Excellence Awards 2017.
Cllr Linda Symes, Portsmouth City Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure & Sport, said: “These results are phenomenal. When we appointed BH Live the aim was to get more people in the city active and to achieve so much in the first few months is fantastic. Thousands of people in Portsmouth have been inspired to get up and get active and if that becomes a regular thing for them it can have great benefits for their health and wellbeing. In turn that can benefit the entire city with healthier people meaning less pressure on health services and if people are walking or cycling rather than driving it can help improve air quality.”
“It’s very encouraging to see the positive impact we are making across the city, says Mike Lyons, BH Live’s Director for Sport and Leisure.
“Enabling more people to do more underpins our social mission to get more people more active. We are really focusing on providing access for all whether that’s through our multi-site membership offer, pay as you go schemes, health programmes or concessions for people on low income. We are now working with partners to develop the venues’ public spaces, further the sporting and aquatics programmes and create an even wider appeal for all.”
Next month, BH Live is launching a brand new programme of activities for families and children aged from 5-13 such as ‘Family Yoga’ and dance classes. Improvement works at Mountbatten to regenerate public areas and introduce new activities will also begin in the autumn.
To find out more about activities in Portsmouth visit bhliveactive.org.uk.
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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 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 3.4 million visits a year and over £39 million turnover, the organisation is changing lives – placing it at the heart of the UK’s growing social economy.
In 2016/17 BH Live hosted more than 500 events, sold over half a million cultural, sporting and entertainment tickets. They had 2.9 million visits into its leisure centres and welcomed 100,000 conference and exhibition delegates into its venues. This contributed an estimated £44 million to the local economy through business and cultural tourism.
For more visit bhlive.org.uk
Get social with us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter @BHLIVE_UK
In Portsmouth BH Live operates the following venues, in partnership with Portsmouth City Council:
- Pyramids Centre – One of Portsmouth’s leading entertainment and leisure complexes with views of Southsea beach and the Solent. It has fun pools, flumes, waves and a three-level soft play adventure world. There is also a multipurpose gym, more than 60 weekly fitness classes and a spa. Regular live music performances, conferences, exhibitions and private events are hosted in the venue.
- Mountbatten Leisure Centre – Portsmouth’s flagship leisure and event venue with a national-class 50m swimming pool, 150 station gym, 8 court sports hall, 2 squash courts, spin and dance studios, a cycle velodrome, athletics track, function suites, and an onsite café
- Portsmouth Gymnastics Centre – consists of a state-of-the-art gymnastics hall, physiotherapy room and meeting room
- Portsmouth Tennis Centre – consists of 4 indoor tennis courts and 6 floodlit outdoor tennis courts
- Eastney Swimming Pool – 20m swimming pool and a spectators’ area
- Wimbledon Park Sports Centre – 20 station gym, 5 badminton courts, basketball court and sports hall
- Charter Community Sports Centre – 20m swimming pool, 20 station gym, sports hall and an outdoor multi-use games area