Presentation by Chris Duncan, Martin Miles and Peter Smith providing further details from Everyone Active following their presentation to the Committee in January 2024.
Minutes:
The Chairman welcomed Chris Duncan, Regional Activity & Wellbeing Manager, Martin Miles, Regional Contract Manager, and Pete Smith, Area Contract Manager, from Everyone Active, who were presenting a progress update further to their presentation to the Committee in January 2024.
Note: Visiting Members Councillors T. Young and L. Rollings arrived at 6.35pm
The Committee heard that whilst there was information to be presented related to both of the leisure centre sites in West Lindsey, there had been considerable focus in recent months on the Gainsborough site, and so their presentation would address those issues primarily. Alongside the presentation on screen, Members were also provided with a copy of the Everyone Active newsletter.
With regard to participation figures for 2023/24, Members heard that West Lindsey Leisure Centre had seen an increase of 11% on the previous year, whilst Market Rasen had seen an increase of 12% on the previous year. For the first quarter of 2024/25, West Lindsey Leisure Centre had an increase of 3.8% on the previous year, where Market Rasen had an increase of 26% on the previous year.
The challenges faced at the West Lindsey Leisure Centre were explained in detail for the Committee. These included, major challenges with the air ventilation in the wet changing village, affecting shower area and changing village itself, work to rectify this had taken place in June and was to be completed by the end of September 2024; cracked wall tiles and high-level wooden boxing failing on the poolside walls, which looked particularly unsightly but displayed no structural issues, had since all been clad; the air handling units in the dry side changing rooms were all due to be replaced by the end of September 2024. Additional issues with the gym ceiling tiles, the sports hall, and the sauna / steam room had all been either temporarily or permanently rectified.
Recruitment of staff had continued to be a challenge, particularly regarding the recruitment of cleaners and lifeguards, which was critical to delivering a positive customer experience. Customer perception had been noticeably negative, due to the issues described. As well as the work which had been undertaken, several other improvements had been introduced. These included the recruitment of a Contract Maintenance Manager; the appointment of external contract cleaners for monthly overnight deep cleaning and additional cleaning hours at peak times cleaning a week; a verbal comments log had been introduced at reception and Meet the Manager sessions were held and scheduled. These were also to be held at Market Rasen. Finally, a Customer Forum was planned, which would also take place at Market Rasen.
Members were presented with a summary of customer feedback, and the results of an unannounced Quest inspection which had taken place in August. Negative feedback from customers had included comments regarding the cleanliness of the wet side changing areas, the lack of family changing space and lockers, the limited number of toilets in the wet area, and comments that the gym kit needed updating. The results of the Quest inspection had ranged from good to excellent, with the presenters noting this had taken place after some of the improvement works had been completed.
Having detailed the challenges faced at the West Lindsey Leisure Centre and how those had been, or continued to be, addressed, the presenters moved on to explain some of the local community involvement initiatives taking place across both sites. These included Menopause Wow Fitness Sessions; more opportunities for Junior Fitness & Health sessions; a successful Pain Management programme; the Kids Dynamo Cricket Summer Programme; and Stretch & Mobility sessions which took place at Saxilby. A questionnaire had been completed with the participants of the Stretch and Mobility sessions, demonstrating the positive impact of the initiative, with 93% reporting that it had helped with confidence, concentration, and focus, and 100% of individuals saying it had made active daily living tasks easier.
The Committee was also provided a summary of programmes taking place throughout 2024. These included partnership working with MacMillan, the Co-op Community Trust, One You Lincolnshire, and mental health services. There was also a programme to work with care home staff, with the aim for them to be able to undertake healthy moving sessions with care home residents. This had been developed as it had proved challenging at times for external visitors to attend care homes, particularly with the likelihood of short-notice ‘lockdowns’ at care homes when there were outbreaks of, for example covid or norovirus. The hope was that by working with the care home staff, who would be present at the homes even in times of ‘lockdowns’, any healthy moving sessions would be able to continue without the need for an external provider.
The presentation was concluded, with questions invited from the Committee. The Chairman and Members expressed their thanks for a thorough and honest appraisal of the recent challenges and how those had been addressed.
Members raised questions regarding the inclusion of the wider community at some of the sessions, with suggestions that the marketing approach needed to be reconsidered. It was felt that, unless an individual was actively looking, the advertising of sessions was not sufficiently visible or accessible. It was explained that some sessions were organised by the groups themselves, meaning Everyone Active was not involved in the promotion of those sessions, however the comments had been noted and opportunities for wider marketing and advertising would be considered.
In relation to customer feedback, it was explained that customers were requested to provide the date, time, and location of their experience, meaning trends could be identified and steps taken to resolve any repeated issues. For example, increasing the cleaning regime during peak hours.
Members enquired as to the difficulties experienced with recruitment, with the Chairman enquiring whether they had links with local colleges and the university. It was confirmed that Everyone Active did work with local education providers, and they would often have students involved where possible, however that did not always translate into active employment. Retention of staff could be as challenging as the initial recruitment. It was confirmed, however, that those links did continue to be explored.
It was also confirmed that where classes were proving particularly popular, for example the healthy ageing programme, options for increasing the capacity of those sessions, or running them more frequently, were always under review. The importance of working with ‘local ambassadors’ in the communities was highlighted, with that being seen as the key for future sustainability.
With thanks again from Committee Members, the Chairman reiterated the benefit of Everyone Active attendance at the Committee, and warmly extended an invitation for their return.