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press release: Serco Leisure
Serco Leisure wins five-year Buckinghamshire leisure contract
30 Jan 2024
Aqua Vale Swimming & Fitness Centre / Serco Leisure
The new contract includes management of Aqua Vale Swimming & Fitness Centre, Swan Pool & Leisure Centre, Evreham Leisure Centre, Beacon Sports Centre & Theatre as well as the continued operation of the Little Marlow Running Track, which Serco Leisure and MCLT have been managing on behalf of the council since 2018.
The decision to award the contract to Serco Leisure and MLCT was made by Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet following a competitive procurement process. As well as bringing positive financial benefits, the arrangements will continue to provide benefits for local residents. This includes a range of concessionary membership rates, working closely with health partners to support residents’ health and wellbeing through more active lifestyles and increasing the number of users across all these sites, supporting local work placements with schools and colleges, and an apprenticeship programme.
Clive Harriss, Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure said: “As a council, we pride ourselves on providing a range of top-quality, affordable leisure facilities for our residents. After a rigorous and exhaustive procurement process, we are pleased to be working with Serco Leisure and MLCT who bring with them great experience and expertise in running successful and thriving leisure facilities for local communities.”
Simon Lane, Serco Leisure’s Managing Director said: “I’m absolutely delighted at this news, which allows us to extend our current relationship with Buckinghamshire Council. We are eager to get started and are looking forward to making a positive impact within the community.
“In partnership with the council, we have a range of exciting projects in the pipeline to enhance the customer experience for visitors to the five centres, including major refurbishment work for the gym spaces at Aqua Vale Swimming & Fitness Centre and Swan Pool & Leisure Centre.”
Brian Taylor, Chair of More Leisure Community Trust added: “This is wonderful news. More Leisure Community Trust are looking forward to broadening their presence in Buckinghamshire having successfully operated Stoke Mandeville Stadium and Little Marlow Running track since 2018. We are looking forward to working in partnership with Buckinghamshire Council to achieve our vision - to inspire all individuals to engage in activity and to be at the heart of improving health and wellbeing in the community."
The five facilities within the contract were previously managed by a number of different operators, with Aqua Vale and Swan Pool under the SLM banner, Evreham Leisure Centre and Beacon Sports Centre & Theatre under GLL, and the Little Marlow Running Track managed by Serco Leisure and MCLT.
More press releases and updates from Serco Leisure:
Following a competitive procurement process, Serco Leisure and its operating partner, More
Leisure Community Trust (MLCT), have been appointed to operate five leisure facilities on
behalf of Oxford City Council from 30th March 2024.
Bisham Abbey and Lilleshall, the Sport England National Sports Centres managed by Serco
Leisure, have come out top across the leisure sector in assessments carried out in December
by Hospitality Assured.
Serco Leisure has won Water Leisure Operator of the Year at the UK Pool & Spa Awards, the fifth
time they have achieved this accolade in the past six years.
Three national sports centres operated by Serco Leisure have earned Elite Training Centre
(ETC) accreditation from UK Sport, the organisation responsible for the strategic investment
of Government and National Lottery funding into Olympic and Paralympic sport and major
events.
Serco Leisure is celebrating a successful ukactive awards 2023, having picked up two prizes,
plus a runners-up spot in the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion category for Birmingham’s
Ladywood Leisure Centre.
Serco Leisure: news from HCMmag.com and FitTechGlobal.com
UKRI (UK Research and Innovation) is backing research to investigate the
lack of older adults accessing facilities for exercise and the barriers they face.
Following a competitive tendering process, Serco Leisure and its partner More Leisure
Community Trust Limited (MLCT) have been awarded a 10-year contract by Mansfield District
Council to operate three centres in the town, starting 1 May 2022.
Serco Leisure
Tel: +44 0116 240 7500
Email: [email protected]
Address:
Lancer House,
38 Scudamore Road,
Leicester,
Leicestershire,
LE3 1UB,
United Kingdom
Simon Lane, Managing Director
Serco Leisure video gallery:
Key personnel
Simon Lane, Managing Director
Steve Nelson, Operations Director
Sally Kurton, Commercial Director
Steve Lawrence, Operations Director
Leigh Brooks, Marketing Director
Warren Higgins, Business Development Director
Steve Nelson, Operations Director
Sally Kurton, Commercial Director
Steve Lawrence, Operations Director
Leigh Brooks, Marketing Director
Warren Higgins, Business Development Director
Key customers
Sport England
WheelPower
Local authorities
WheelPower
Local authorities
Plans for the next 12 months
2022 was a record-breaking 12 months for Serco Leisure, as we celebrated a set of sales figures at year-end that even our most optimistic forecasts hadn’t predicted.
2023 will see us consolidating those gains, while looking to improve our overall customer offering via the introduction of a new Single-Customer-View CRM system. When this launches later in the year, it will allow us to provide customers with a journey that goes far beyond their leisure centre visit and will instead marry up their in-centre experience with engaging digital touch-points and supportive human interventions.
2023 will see us consolidating those gains, while looking to improve our overall customer offering via the introduction of a new Single-Customer-View CRM system. When this launches later in the year, it will allow us to provide customers with a journey that goes far beyond their leisure centre visit and will instead marry up their in-centre experience with engaging digital touch-points and supportive human interventions.
Testimonial
"We have enjoyed a fantastic partnership with Serco Leisure since the contract was awarded in 2015. They manage nine facilities on our behalf and together we have opened four new facilities: Stechford, Northfield, Erdington and Ladywood, two of which won prestigious ukactive awards, highlighting the quality of these new builds.
"The knowledge, expertise and experience Serco bring is first class. In the post-COVID era, we’re confident they are the operator who will provide the level of service, variety of activity and the inclusive welcome the people of Birmingham deserve."
– Dave Wagg, Head of Sport & Development, Birmingham City Council
"The knowledge, expertise and experience Serco bring is first class. In the post-COVID era, we’re confident they are the operator who will provide the level of service, variety of activity and the inclusive welcome the people of Birmingham deserve."
– Dave Wagg, Head of Sport & Development, Birmingham City Council
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