ukactive

We’re back! 📅 We are thrilled to announce the return of the ukactive Awards for 2025 which is taking place on 30th October at the International Conference Centre (ICC) in Birmingham. Mark your calendars and be prepared for an unforgettable celebration of our sector! 👉 Stay tuned for more updates. #ukactiveAwards

Three new Non-Executive Directors have been appointed to ukactive’s Board to support the organisation in its journey towards Vision 2030 to get more than five million new users active in its members’ facilities, drawn from a greater diversity of backgrounds Jordan Cummins, the current lead of the CBI (Confederation of British Industry)'s Competitiveness department, joins as ukactive’s Non-Executive Director for Growth. Dr Sonia Adesara, a practising GP and campaigner for improving women’s healthcare through addressing health inequalities joins as the Board’s Non-Executive Director for Health. Claudette Elliott, a qualified social worker with more than 40 years’ experience, working in operational and senior management roles across health and social care, joins as a ukactive’s Non-Executive Director for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). To find out more about the appointments, click here: https://lnkd.in/dG2_Ukss

The Active Standard is a baseline certification for operators across the physical activity sector and is particularly valuable to independent operators who can demonstrate to their members how they are compliant in areas such as health and safety, safeguarding, equality and diversity, GDPR and more. For Matthew Russell and the team at The River Bourne Club, achieving The Active Standard as part of the MSK Hubs pilot programme, has helped the club to stand out from competitors and has provided reassurance to its key partners that they take standards seriously. To learn more about the experience of The River Bourne Club as an independent operator and how they achieved The Active Standard, read the blog here: https://lnkd.in/eHB3v_HD

Attracting and retaining the next generation of group fitness instructors into facilities is a priority for all across the physical activity sector. In this blog from Les Mills UK (LMUK), the organisation’s UK Customer Experience Director, Carl McCartney, explains how operators can turbocharge recruitment activities and attract the next generation of studio stars. Read the blog here: https://lnkd.in/esb2UZ2j

We are delighted to welcome Freemotion on board as a ukactive Strategic Partner! Freemotion from iFIT, Inc. is the world’s largest consumer equipment manufacturer and a leading health and fitness platform. iFIT is how their growing community of over 9.6+ million Total Members and 1.8+ million Interactive Fitness Subscribers in 120 countries connect with 250 world class trainers. Freemotion powered by the iFIT platform allows for ultimate engagement and helps fitness facilities around the world generate higher levels of new member acquisition and retention through the increase in weekly visits and member engagement. “We are excited to announce our partnership with ukactive, an organisation that shares our goal of redefining fitness experiences. Innovation is at the heart of everything we do and, together with the brilliant team at ukactive, we will provide cutting-edge fitness solutions that inspire more people to get active. Here’s to pushing boundaries, challenging the status quo and creating a healthier, more active future for the UK!” Find out more about Freemotion here: https://lnkd.in/dGzs3b7

𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 🤝 ukactive joins us for a second year, as event partners of the paf Europe forum. A big thank you for your continued support ukactive. 💪 𝗥𝗘𝗚𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥 https://lnkd.in/ejY2ZH3c 🔗 www.paf-europe.com Danny Melling | Shannon H. | Huw Edwards

Today, Sport England released the Active Lives Survey for Children and Young People 23/24, showing that progress on children’s activity levels has alarmingly flat-lined. In response, ukactive has issued a statement acknowledging that while today’s report shows the number of children and young people getting active in gyms and fitness facilities is growing in the long term - with a 12% rise in the proportion of children taking part in gym and fitness compared to six years ago - much more is needed to be done to address significant concerns in other areas. Commenting on the announcement, Huw Edwards, CEO of ukactive, says: “These figures demonstrate the need for the Government to deliver an industry-supported strategy to dramatically improve children’s activity levels, if it is to deliver on its ambition to create the ‘healthiest and happiest generation of children ever’.” ukactive is therefore calling for the Government to address this stagnation before it is too late, and seeks clear indications of the approach it will take to promise every child a healthier and more active future. Read the statement in full here: https://lnkd.in/eyPhWkDi

In November, ukactive launched The Active Standard, a baseline certification designed for all operators – whether from the private or public sector – and free of charge as part of ukactive membership. In the third blog of the series, we hear from representatives from across ukactive’s membership, that represent different parts of the sector, who explain the value of The Active Standard for their businesses and the industry as a whole. The piece includes representation from Chris Hebblewhite, Director of National Standards and Compliance at GLL, and Vice Chair of ukactive’s Standards and Legislation Committee, Deena Gillan Club Manager of 3-1-5 Health Club and Danny Fewings, Operations Director at Mosaic Spa & Health Clubs. To read the blog, click here: https://lnkd.in/dXqSMZVb

To mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Tim Mathias, Strategic Lead for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at ukactive, discusses the significant steps the physical activity sector is taking to ensure those with disabilities are supported, welcomed and encouraged to enjoy the countless benefits of physical activity within the sector’s facilities and services. In the blog, Tim discusses ukactive’s Everyone Can programme which is just one example of work that aims to improve inclusivity and accessibility for disabled people by bringing the sector together to raise awareness, convene operators and suppliers so that learnings and evidence can be shared within this space. The piece also includes contributions from LimbPower, Activity Alliance, STA (Swimming Teachers Association), Everyone Active - SLM and Future Fit Group on their work and ambitions around inclusion within the sector. Read the full piece here: https://lnkd.in/eduVY2p2

In this blog, Paul Crane, ukactive's Risk & Standards Manager, discusses The Active Standard and the steps operator members can take to achieve the certification. Read the piece here: https://lnkd.in/eY7uejrw