One leading South Yorkshire-based leisure trust is facing these challenging economic times head-on with a proactive strategy to increase user numbers, and in particular those joining its fitness membership scheme.

Barnsley Premier Leisure (BPL), which runs 12 local authority owned leisure centres, two golf courses and three school sites across Barnsley and the North Notts area, has invested to ensure that its sites compete strongly with private counterparts. Over the past 18 months the quality and scope of provision has been increased and an active marketing campaign has resulted in a significant membership increase.

Two centres have been at the heart of this vision - Royston Leisure Centre and The Barnsley Metrodome - both of which have benefited from investments designed to ensure they can compete with private facilities.

The trust formulated its five-year strategic plan in 2007, setting out both immediate and longer-term goals. One of the first priorities was to match the physical quality of private venues and to accompany this with a superior level of customer service. This began with the way clients are greeted at reception through to the availability of qualified instructors in the gyms whose services include free one-to-one fitness assessments for members.

As part of its longer term strategy the trust is also working closely with other agencies such as Barnsley Metropolitan District Council and Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in a mutually beneficial partnerships that are both increasing usage of the sports facilities and helping improve the health of public sector staff.

Steve Roberts, Head of Business Development for Barnsley Premier Leisure explains: "There's a fine balance to be struck between being commercially successful and meeting the needs of a community that needs to have good, well-priced leisure facilities."

"From a commercial viewpoint we're having great success by offering corporate membership for both council and hospital workers. The membership offer to hospital staff has, in part, been driven by a desire by the hospital trust to increase the health of its workers, reducing sick days and illness. This represents a new model of local authority leisure that we believe is filling a void not met by the private sector."

BPL has recently recruited 1,600 new members from all sections of the community.

At both Royston Leisure Centre and The Barnsley Metrodome the changing facilities were identified as an area where investment was necessary to enhance customers' experience to compete with what was on offer at private gyms.

Steve Roberts says: "Changing is so often an area that is neglected by centres, and one that can let down their whole appeal, especially among those who need adequate space and comfort such as the morning business users. We felt this was the case with some of our sites, so wanted to make these changes so we could offer members a standard comparable to the private sector."

BPL began a £400,000 upgrade of the Royston Leisure Centre facilities early in 2010, and this included refurbishing the changing rooms as well as improving and extending the gym. The trust worked with changing rooms designer and supplier Craftsman Quality Lockers (CQL) at Royston, and again at The Barnsley Metrodome where the dry-side changing area was refurbished later the same year.

"The Metrodome has grown to be a hub of activity for the staff of local businesses that we have attracted through our concerted efforts to strengthen links with them," Roberts explains. "It was for this reason that we needed to have changing facilities that catered for uniforms, suits and a large amount of luggage - something that we could do by installing CQL's Maximiser lockers, providing a well organised, space saving locker with three separate compartments, which fulfilled all our requirements."