• Well known in the health and fitness industry; Neil King brings 22 years experience to the role gained from Fitness First and more recently SLM
• Responsible for the development and delivery of the Everyone Active brand across more than 85 leisure centres,  he has made a large contribution to the brand’s recent growth and success
• Aside from his operational and commercial duties Neil King has taken an active role in developing and improving the industry and has been a board member of UK Active, Skills Active and is a trustee of the Health & Fitness Foundation

Quotations

Julian Nicholls, Chairman of Leisure Connection said:

I am delighted that Neil has joined Leisure Connection.  Neil will lead the development of the business and his first class leisure experience and industry knowledge will enhance the already strong market position.  His appointment marks the next important step for us, which is hot on the heels of an £11m successful recapitalisation of the Leisure Connection business last year. Neil is motivated by the desire to encourage more people to be more active, more often and is continually looking for new ways to engage local communities in regular physical activity.

Neil King commented:

 I have been impressed with the progress which I have seen at Leisure Connection in recent months and I am delighted to be joining the business at such a pivotal moment.  Leisure Connection has an impressive team and a wide ranging and diverse client portfolio which forms an excellent foundation on which to continue to build the business

• Leisure Connection is the only leisure management company to receive such an endorsement and the only sports, leisure and health club operator in the industry to offer the course free to employees

Quotations

Claire Owen, Leisure Connection’s training and development manager, commented:

We are delighted to obtain full endorsement from the ISMM and look forward to developing industry-leading membership sales teams. Our industry has for many years recognised and demanded formal qualifications from fitness team, lifeguards and catering teams, so it is only right that we extend that professionalism to our sales colleagues.

• With over 2000 qualifying organisations within the UK, placing in the top 15 has demonstrated the company’s continued progress in terms of reducing its carbon consumption
• Leisure Connection was the highest placed organisation from the leisure and fitness sector and the result equated to the ninth highest company placing from the private sector

Quotations

Steve Bambury, Head of Energy at Leisure Connection, commented:

At Leisure Connection, we take our sustainability responsibilities extremely seriously; we understand that it is our duty to do everything we can to miminise our carbon footprint and maximise our energy efficiency. With that in mind, it’s fantastic to place so highly in the table and to see how we compare to other participants in the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme. Hopefully next year we will be even higher!

 

• All sites operated by Leisure Connection across the country will be searchable on the payasUgym.com website from mid-March, meaning that consumers will be able to pay for and book single, weekly or monthly usage passes online
• Customers will receive a code via SMS that will serve as an entry pass at their chosen gym

Quotations

Kevin Yates, Head of Fitness Marketing Communications of Leisure Connection commented:

Health and fitness is a rapidly evolving industry, and it’s absolutely vital that large operators like ourselves keep abreast of new methods and technologies to engage the local community. Like all great technologies, payasUgym.com is based around a really simple idea: how to make going to the gym easier. It’s something that we are constantly trying to improve and we hope this online, external booking system will help convince those hard-to-reach demographics that getting active at your local gym is a piece of cake – with none of the calories of course!

Neil Harmsworth, Co-Founder of payasUgym.com commented:

We are delighted to confirm this exciting partnership with Leisure Connection and look forward to providing online lead generation to its many fantastic clubs across the UK.

 

• The hall has undergone a three-week refurbishment and is now be equipped to host Badminton, Football, Netball, Basketball, Volleyball and Dodgeball, as well as providing a Roller Derby track
• For more information about Leisure Connection visit www.leisureconnection.co.uk

Quotations

Kevin Yates, Head of Fitness Marketing Communications at Leisure Connection, commented:

The investment will make a real difference to members at Parklands, and is a reflection of our on-going commitment towards providing the best facilities for communities across the county. We know that our members look to their local leisure centres to offer a range of facilities for fitness fanatics, casual users and families alike, and projects like this are intended to directly meet that need.

• Sex, smooching and everything else that goes with this is great for all relationships but intimate time with your sweetheart will also work wonders for your health, fitness and wellbeing too
• Not only does that loving feeling get your heart rate up, it can also burn some serious calories, too, which is why it’s making a debut on the Harpers Fitness class timetable
• Exercises or sexercises include: the sexy squat, the passionate press up, the pert plank, the glute squeeze tease and various Pilates and yoga stretches designed to heighten couple’s senses
• And according to research the best way to maximise calorie-burning during sex is to make sure you orgasm but Harpers Fitness can’t offer any advice / classes in ensuring this!

Quotations

Kevin Yates, head of Fitness at Harpers Fitness said:

We’re keen to offer our members of all ages an innovative and diverse class programme.  We often launch new ‘pop up’ classes including the Dallas work out and Queenacise to a spooky Halloween work out.  It’s all about variety for us!

Everyone knows sex is a workout (whether you enjoy it or not) but a half-hour romp can burn off over 200 calories, which could be the chocolate pudding you shared this Valentine’s Day.  The key for high-calorie-burning sex is making the movements precise and engaging the entire body; including the core, arms and legs.  Our classes are all about having fun but also giving some useful tips in prolonging the ‘work out’.

• The business currently operates more than 70 different health and leisure facilities from swimming pools and leisure centres to private clubs, national sport centres and hotel health clubs and spas
• The recapitalisation provides a strong and stable base for the company’s ambitious growth plans
• This news comes hot on the heels of some great usage figures
• Leisure Connection has been successful in increasing the number of people taking the plunge in its centres and has reported an 11.6% like for like increase in swimmers, in contrast to a recent study by Sport England, which showed a decrease in swimming numbers throughout the UK over the last four years
• The company has also seen year on year swimming lesson programme participation rise by 5.6%, with adult swimming classes up by 32.9%
• As well as getting communities more active the company has also been successful in reducing energy consumption by significant and continuing investment in energy saving initiatives

Quotations

Confident in the growth potential, Julian Nicholls, chairman of Leisure Connection commented:

Leisure Connection has a strong market offering across the public sector and in the private sector.  Our recent success is down to our engagement with local communities and the people we work with at a national and local level.  The next 12 months are going to be very exciting for the business as we continue to enhance our market leading proposition and encourage even more people to get more active, more often in our facilities.

• The 2012 British summer has been 4% colder than 2011 and with gyms using an average of 5% more energy per minus degree, this should have led to an increase in energy consumption
• The news comes as a result of £1million being invested to help improve its carbon footprint and reduce energy costs for its customers
• The investment, which has been spilt 50/50 with energy reduction partner Pure World Technologies, involves a new lighting scheme, built in energy management systems (BMS) and Variable Speed Drives (VSD’s) all of which have been introduced across the centres
• Local leisure and sports centres with pools now also feature LED lighting to reduce energy consumption

Quotations

Steve Bambury, Head of Energy at Leisure Connection, commented:

It’s been a wet and cold summer and usually this would lead to a significant rise in costs for our customers. Through smart energy management and the application of intelligent solutions, Leisure Connection has bucked the bad weather and achieved outstanding energy reduction across 21 of our sites.

Steve continued,

It is vital as a leader in outsourced leisure management that we jump on industry issues and ensure we maximise the services we provide for our client base. Reducing energy costs is just one of many services Leisure Connection has implemented for its customers to ensure we are providing the ultimate facility management despite the odds.

• The investment, which will be split 50/50 between the two companies, will involve a new lighting scheme, built in energy management systems (BMS’) and Variable Speed Drives (VSD’s) introduced across the 21 sites Centres with pools will also feature LED lighting to reduce energy consumption

• Throughout the past three years Leisure Connection’s commitment to energy reduction has seen the company save 30% on consumption, due to a range of energy saving initiatives that have been rolled out across all 64 sites

Quotations:

Steve Bambury, Head of Energy at Leisure Connection, commented:

Over the past three years we have been working incredibly hard to reduce the energy Leisure Connection consumes across its 64 sites, so much so that under our brand owner Danoptra, we were ranked above thousands of other service providers in the CRC League Table. When you consider that 95% of Danoptra’s energy is used by Leisure Connection, you can begin to really understand how advanced our energy saving structure is.

Steve continued:

Teaming up with Pure World Technologies has provided us with a greater opportunity to drive energy reduction, which, in turn, will reduce costs for our sites. We will continue to pursue innovative ways to reduce the amount of energy consumed across our sites.

David Lixton, Managing Director of Pure World Technologies, commented:

We were delighted to become Leisure Connections energy partner all those months ago. We have 10 years experience working with leisure groups to reduce their energy across the UK, which has enabled us to assist Leisure Connection and help the leisure management operator to become one of the most energy efficient leisure groups in the country, saving thousands of tonnes of carbon in the process

David Continued:

The company has already achieved a significant amount in terms of energy saving, so it is now our job, as partners in the scheme, to ensure this continues and increases.

• Despite Sport England’s reported decrease in swimming participants, Leisure Connection has seen a steady rise in pool usage, the leisure management company believes the increase of people taking the plunge and swimming in its local facilities, is a result of innovative swimming programmes that have been delivered across its 42 pools
• The company has also seen year on year swimming lesson programme participation rise by 5.6%, with adult swimming class participation up by 32.9%

Quotation:

Tara Stroud, Head of Swimming at Leisure Connection, commented:

These figures are very encouraging and are testamant to all the hard work and creativity that we apply to promoting swimming within our communities.  We will continue to work closely with our client partners to ensure we deliver programmes and courses, which not only teach this life skill, but which also promote swimming as a form of physical activity in a bid to stay fit and healthy