The Fitness Industry Association (FIA) announced the winners of the 2006 Fitness Leadership and Management Excellence (FLAME) Awards at the FitPro Business Gala Dinner in Birmingham yesterday.

Club of the Year – which is divided into four categories – went to the Matfen Hall Spa and Leisure Club in Newcastle for the under 1,000-member category; Hearts Health Club in Liverpool for the 1,000–2,500 bracket, which it also won last year; LivingWell Premier in Inverness for 2,500–4,000 members, and David Lloyd Leisure in Manchester for the club with more than 4,000 members.

Public Sector Centre of the Year was once again awarded to the Hillsborough Leisure Centre in Sheffield, while the TESCO Healthy Living Zone in Hertfordshire won Corporate Club of the Year.

Richard Apps, manager of Hillsborough Leisure Centre, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have been named the best centre in the country once more. It was always going to be difficult to defend our crown but we believe we’ve built on our successes of last year to further improve the venue for the benefit of our customers. It’s a testament to the skills, dedication and hard work of the entire team at Hillsborough that we’ve been able to maintain the incredibly high standards that we continually strive to reach.”

The venue faced competition from finalists the Rainbow Leisure Centre near Epsom and The Pavillions in the Park, Horsham.

The Spirit of Flame award – given to a club or group for excellence in a field outside the normal judging criteria – went to The Dome (Doncaster Dome Leisure Trust).

The awards took place at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham as part of Leisure Industry Week (LIW). Details: www.fia.org.uk

Photograph: Hillsborough Leisure Centre