EVERYWHERE REOPENING MEASURES Page 3
EVERYONE ON DEMAND Page 10
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SWIMMING IS BACK Page 11
DONATING TO LOCAL FOODBANKS Community is at the heart of everything we do and we weren’t going to let lockdown stop us. PAGE 6
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A WORD FROM DAVID BIBBY
David Bibby, Managing Director
T
he events of 2020 and the global Covid-19 pandemic has seen many businesses across the world grind to a halt and adapt the way they operate under the current circumstances. The leisure industry has undoubtedly been one of the most affected, and I’m sure none of us will forget that feeling as we eagerly awaited the Government’s green light to reopen our gyms and centres.
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As we start to experience some ‘normality’ and we reflect on 2020 so far, there are a number of learnings and recognitions that I have personally taken from this experience that far outweigh all the challenges we have faced. I truly believe these will be the driving force to help shape our business moving forward.
with each one. Thanks to this support, we have been able to reopen nearly all our centres and have worked collaboratively to keep our local communities safe and active. I believe this stands us all in good stead for how we work together moving forward and continue to serve local people with the highest standard of leisure facilities.
Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, it has continued to demonstrate that the passion of your workforce and the strength in your partnerships is absolutely key to getting through a crisis. I will not be alone when I say there has been times where I was genuinely concerned for our future. But the sheer determination of the team and our efforts to work together to innovate and adapt ourselves has been one of the leading factors in getting us through this uncertain period.
We have also taken this opportunity to develop and evolve our digital offering, as we explore new ways to involve people in activity. The launch of Everyone on Demand – our at-home workout platform – has given us an opening to engage with a whole host of new audiences - of all ages and abilities - and cater for those that may not be ready to come back to the gym.
From using their own personal time to host free live workouts to keep people active, donating over £80k of food and £50k of PPE within communities and working tirelessly to get our centres reopen, everyone has played their part to ensure we remain the caring and compassionate company we pride ourselves on being. On top of that, our innovative marketing campaigns have helped to raise over £500k for the National Emergencies Trust, which will go a long way to helping those most in need. We have also received an incredible amount of support from our local authority partners, which is testament to the strong relationships we hold
It is important that we take the positives from every bad situation. I am confident our learnings will make Everyone Active a stronger business and family moving forward and I would like to say a huge ‘Thank You’ to all our colleagues and partners that have supported us throughout. I am personally forever grateful. Kind regards,
David Bibby David Bibby Managing Director
OUR REOPENING MEASURES PROVIDING COVID-SAFE ENVIRONMENTS FOR OUR CUSTOMERS - BEN BEEVERS, GROUP DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR An incredible amount of work has gone into creating covid-safe environments for our customers in the run up to us reopening. As Group Development Director, this has been one of my key focuses over the past four months. We have worked with a variety of internal departments and National Governing Bodies to determine the best solution for each one of our centres and facilities within them.
Ben Beevers, Development Director
Like many other operators, we have been juggling the challenge of ensuring we are up-to-date with the latest Government guidance
(which has naturally changed and evolved over time), with managing effective internal and customer communications. This is particularly difficult when we’re hearing the information at the same time as everyone else and both colleagues and customers are keen to get back to their local centre! Ensuring everyone feels safe in their local leisure centre was essential to a successful reopening. But it isn’t just about the operational solutions you put in place that determine this - our key focuses throughout this process can be broken down into three areas:
OPERATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS As every operator will tell you, no two leisure centres are the same, meaning it can pose quite the challenge when ensuring social distancing is maintained throughout each corner of the building. As a business, we made the decision to reopen our gyms first, followed by swimming pools (lane swimming and swimming lessons only) and selected sports and activities thereafter. This gave us an opportunity to focus on each activity one-by-one and determine the best solution for maintaining cleanliness and social distancing throughout.
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The entry, exit and navigational routes within each centre has had to be considered, along with the installation of screens in key reception and membership areas of our centres.
end of the day and in between activity bookings. Overall, we have invested over £1m in cleaning materials, fogging machines and antibacterial hand sanitiser.
The launch of our gym booking system was a brand-new platform we introduced in light of the current situation, ensuring we managed the numbers of people in the area at any one time.
One of our biggest challenges has been around lesson programming. Social distancing has meant we’ve had to reduce numbers and try and accommodate as many of our customers as possible. We’ve had to rewrite our entire swim and activity programmes which has required significant work from our swim and activity departments.
We invested in fogging machines (a machine that disperses antibacterial spray) at every one of our centres, which are used at the beginning and
THE RETRAINING OF OUR COLLEAGUES We were always extremely mindful of our colleagues returning into a very new way of operating within our centres. We needed to ensure we had a solid internal communications plan so colleagues felt comfortable and confident with our new procedures. Combined with a detailed Remobilisation Plan document outlined by the Senior Management team, we also set-up an internal website for colleagues, which had all of the relevant training documents for each role and a range of internal videos demonstrating the processes within centres. We took a “trainthe-trainer” approach through our Contract Managers to ensure
information and training was filtered to every colleague returning into the business. The key is also in maintaining that continued communication with teams across the business. It’s forced us to adapt the way we communicate and utilise digital platforms – such as Microsoft TEAMS - to have instant and more efficient communication. Our board of Directors and Senior Management team are also utilising the platforms to maintain daily communication. It’s definitely taught us to be more efficient with our time!
COMMUNICATION TO OUR CUSTOMERS AND CLIENTS
As the situation developed, there was always going to be some nervousness from customers regarding returning to their local leisure centres. It was crucial for us to make sure our customers and clients were comfortable with the measures we’ve put in place for the protection of local communities. We’ve tried to cover all avenues of communication to meet the needs of our customers. A dedicated web page was created and was included in all digital communications, which aims to clearly outline our measures
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for each activity. As a group, we have invested over £350k in signage for our centres and have produced over nine different videos that explain the processes, which have been regularly communicated through our social media pages, website and e-communications. For clients, in addition to our remobilisation plans, we also produced ongoing PR, communications and sales and marketing plans so they were kept informed of our corporate strategy.
Overall, we’re very pleased with the feedback we’ve received from colleagues, customers and clients regarding our processes for reopening. The situation will certainly change the way we manage centres for quite some time. We will continue to work with our clients, National Government Bodies and all expert colleagues to develop the way we operate and ensure they continue to remain a safe environment for all.
WHAT WE’VE ACHIEVED DURING LOCKDOWN HELPING THOSE IN NEED DURING LOCKDOWN Community is at the heart of everything we do and we weren’t going to let lockdown stop us from helping those most in need during these difficult times. In addition to raising over £500k for the National Emergencies Trust through the support of our members, here’s just a few other examples of what our fantastic colleagues have been up to support their local communities.
DONATING TO LOCAL FOODBANKS Lockdown meant we had a lot of food in our cafes and vending machines that were going to waste whilst we were closed. Our resourceful teams across our centres have been out and about donating all sorts of goodies to local Trussell Trust and Salvation Army foodbanks to support their local community. In total, we’ve donated over £75k worth of food to local charities. Our team in Three Rivers were just some of our centres to take part in the donation. John Sewell, Area Contract Manager for Three Rivers, said: “We’re committed to helping the wider community and supporting those who may be experiencing social isolation at this time and those who just need a helping hand. “The Trussell Trust is a fantastic charity and we’re proud to be able to support the work they do during such a challenging time. We hope our donations will offer some comfort and support to those who need it most.”
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SUPPORTING THE NHS Whilst our centres were closed and where they are located close to hospitals and medical services, we offered free parking to NHS colleagues to support them as they tackle the coronavirus crisis. Our Jubilee Leisure Centre, which we manage in partnership with Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, suspended all charges at its car park to provide free access for colleagues at George Eliot Hospital, part of the Warwickshire NHS Trust. George Eliot colleagues were able to use spaces at the leisure centre, which is less than a ten minute walk away while the facility is closed to the public. Tracey Jeffery, General Manager at the centre, said: “Even whilst closed, we’re glad our facilities were still able to offer a helping hand in the community to those that need it most. “We are in awe of the hard work and dedication of NHS colleagues at this time of crisis. Many colleagues are working especially long hours and additional shifts to keep us all safe and well. The free parking service is our way of showing our appreciation for the invaluable work they are doing.”
USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO KEEP OUR LOCAL COMMUNITIES ACTIVE Lockdown really tested our ability to still keep people active and motivated to be healthy! But luckily for our customers, we love a good challenge! We have a whole host of passionate colleagues that were super keen to jump on our social media channels and host an array of different classes for our members. From yoga to body pump, we’ve managed to host every class
Councillor Chris Lloyd, Lead member for Leisure at Three Rivers District Council, added: “I would like to thank Everyone Active for the support that they are giving through their donations. It is really appreciated and many people in the local community will benefit.”
online workouts
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@everyoneactive
imaginable across our Facebook and Instagram channels throughout lockdown and even after our centres reopened. From April to September, we hosted over 600 live workout classes across our social media pages with over 1.5 million people taking part! That’s a lot of people staying active during lockdown by simply using social media.
ELDERBERRIES Jackie speaks highly of the new measures we’ve introduced across our centres too: “The cleaning measures are brilliant, and I feel very safe when using the facilities. I was initially having trouble booking the classes online, but after one of the kind team members on reception showed me how to use it properly, it’s now really straightforward.
Elderberries
GETTING PEOPLE OF ALL AGES BACK BEING ACTIVE Our Becontree Heath Leisure Centre, which we manage in partnership with London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, has been running ‘Elderberries’ classes at the centre for the past nine years. Elderberries is a tailored group for the over 60’s. The sessions run throughout the week and include circuit exercises, aqua aerobics, badminton, table tennis and yoga and offer members of the local community the chance to socialise, have fun and be active at the same time. In recent weeks, the group has been a real saviour for some of its members. Jackie Roche, 73, has been a member of the Elderberries for five years. During lockdown she found it very hard being thrown out of her normal routine. Although Jackie had the company of her husband, she found being at home very lonely at times.
“I really appreciate the effort the Everyone Active team has gone to, to make us feel safe. They treat you with great respect and I am thrilled to be back with the Elderberries.” Numbers through the Becontree Heath doors show that members were keen to get back in the centre, with 32,860 visits since reopening. The team has also seen nearly 450 new members joining. Deputy Leader of Barking and Dagenham Council and Cabinet Member of Community Leadership and Engagement, Cllr Saima Ashraf said: “I am delighted to see that groups like the Elderberries have access again to our leisure centres and can get back to community led exercise. I know how important it is for groups like these, to be able to come together in a safe space and be active as well as being able to see people who they might not have seen for some time.”
Since returning to the group, Jackie has seen a real boost in her confidence and is glad to be back at the centre again. She said: “I was really sad not to be going to the Elderberries group during lockdown. I’ve made a lot of friends there and it was hard not seeing them. After time, things did become easier and the instructors gave me some great advice, which was to keep moving. I went walking everyday which definitely helped me to stay active and positive. “The Elderberries give a lot of people something to get up for and I’m so pleased to see the classes back. The instructors are so helpful and friendly and tailor the classes to suit you. The Elderberries group really is a jewel in our borough’s crown.”
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Jackie Roche, 73
HEAR IT FROM OUR CUSTOMERS! We’re extremely proud of our teams for how we’ve managed the reopening of our centres under the current circumstances. It has taken great skill, commitment and an understanding of our customers to get our centres reopened in a safe manner.
Dean, 67
We could sit here all day and tell you about how great we are, but we think you should hear it from our customers instead!
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I was desperate to get back in the gym after being away for so long. I’m a keen cyclist but I didn’t feel safe cycling outdoors during lockdown in case I had an accident and ended up in hospital. I missed the safety of training within the gym so it feels really good to be back! There are plenty of cleaning stations and social distancing is maintained throughout the centre. You can tell that the staff are working hard to keep all members safe.
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Chantal Izquierdo, 69
69 year old Chantal Izquierdo, talks about her decision to return to the ‘Everyone Active Fitness and Sports Centre’ in Cambourne.
Benita Bull
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It’s great to be back at the gym, there is plenty of space and lots of new equipment. There are numerous cleaning stations where members can clean down the equipment that they have been using. I have noticed that people are very respectful of each other. The staff make sure the cleanliness of the facility is a very high standard and I feel very safe in this environment.
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“Being healthy and fit has always been a huge part of my life. As I get older I recognise that it becomes more important to make efforts for my health. During lockdown I began to feel unfit, I gained weight, I lacked energy. Upset by this I decided to return to Everyone Active. Everyone Active provided me with an opportunity to address my health. Despite the fears of COVID I trust being back at this gym. The machines are distanced appropriately and I have plenty of evidence that the team sufficiently clean the equipment before and after every session. For further precautions I also take personal responsibility and use the provided cleaning products to clean as I go. I have been back at the gym for three weeks now, attending at least five times a week. I am already noticing a difference in my weight and my overall feeling of health and wellbeing. I am almost seventy years of age, my mother is nearly ninety, the way I see it I have twenty years left. I will spend those twenty years staying active and coming to the gym is the perfect environment to support it.”
THE LAUNCH OF ON DEMAND The launch of EVERYONE On Demand. With 500,000 free subscriptions to four market leading fitness apps The past few months has seen us launch an exciting new arm to our activity offering, through Everyone On Demand. The package includes access to WithU, Flex, EXi and Les Mills on Demand and gives customers an at-home solution to maintaining their fitness. The monthly app subscription fees total over £25, however we’re giving free access for the next 12 months to all current and new members to support them in their activity journey. Initially, Everyone On Demand was designed as a temporary offer to help members stay active while gyms were shut. It enabled us to maintain a relationship with our members and drive much-needed revenue. The response was hugely positive with 10,000 people taking up the offer. Adapting to these new consumer fitness habits, we proceeded to create a long-term on-demand solution which adds real value to the membership. It’s something we’re incredibly proud of, as we adapt to the current situation and the needs of our customers.
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“We spent a long-time researching apps and talking to partners to ensure we created a well-rounded offering, which would appeal to as many of our members as possible,” says Duncan Jefford, Regional Director, Everyone Active. “We are confident we have an outstanding mix of workouts, including audiocoaching that members can benefit from both in and out of the gym, content led by fitness superstars like Jillian Michaels and the EXi app which takes excellent care of our new exercisers and special populations.” “We don’t want anyone to have to make the choice between the gym and their favourite on-demand session, so we’ve launched Everyone On Demand, a package of marketleading fitness apps” Says Jefford. “Every returning or new member will receive access to all of these apps, which collectively contain almost 2,500 workouts, at no extra cost as part of the current membership fee. Everyone On Demand is the most comprehensive on-demand collection offered by any operator and gives our members the ultimate flexibility when it comes to how and where to train.”
EVERYONE ON DEMAND FEATURES: WITHU – Over 600 immersive workouts, led by world-class personal trainers, via audio coaching and a 3D avatar FLEX – More than 1000 workouts from a host of fantastic fitness brands including Jillian Michaels, Sleek Technique, SH1FT and Sweat Factor LES MILLS ON DEMAND – 800+ workouts from Les Mills marketleading GroupX programmes, including BODYPUMP, CXWORX and GRIT EXI – NHS approved, prescribed exercise programmes, tailored and tracked for peace of mind. EXi is the world’s first app to specifically target any combination of 20 long term health conditions including diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, depression and cancer
For anyone who is not ready to return to the gym, we are also offering stand-alone Everyone On Demand access for £9.99 a month.
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SWIMMING IS BACK! We were one of the first operators to re-launch our swimming programme and swimming lessons and we couldn’t be happier to see our local communities back in our pools. But getting them back up and running under the current circumstances has not been an easy process. We talk to our Group Swimming Manager, Jacqui Tillman, on how swimming at Everyone Active has made a comeback under the new guidance.
ONCE THE GOVERNMENT ADVISED SWIMMING POOLS CAN REOPEN, WHAT WAS THE PROCESS AT EVERYONE ACTIVE IN DECIDING HOW AND WHEN TO OPEN TO CUSTOMERS? For us, it was all about safety. We were keen to reopen, but we wanted to make sure we reopened responsibly, in a way that ensured the safety of our customers. During the lockdown, we worked closely with industry bodies, Swim England and ukactive. Our swimming product manager, Ian Cotton, sat on Swim England’s Operator Group and the Club Task Force allowing us to work closely with the industry to formulate guidance on the appropriate measures we would need to implement, based on a variety of activities. With safety at the core, activity in the pool needed to be controlled so swimming lessons, lane swimming and swimming club sessions were the only activities that allowed us to strictly adhere to Government and industry guidance in the first instance. The entire pool programme required rewriting and the necessary uploads to manage site bookings were essential; for swimming lessons, class sizes were reduced, times were staggered to decrease the number of swimmers easing traffic flow, and consideration was given to all our existing customers to limit time changes and any inconvenience. We also introduced moving swimming lessons online, so our customers have the power to move their children from one class to another at home. To aid customer experience and swimmer numbers all lane swimming sessions were introduced as book online, allowing the sites to manage capacity and customers to plan ahead. Following clear guidance from Swim England we were able to work with affiliated Aquatic Clubs as part of phase one, enabling them to return to the water as soon as practicable. This has since opened to the non-affiliated clubs.
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HOW MANY CHILDREN ARE LEARNING TO SWIM AT EVERYONE ACTIVE FOLLOWING THE REOPENING OF YOUR CENTRES?
HOW HAVE YOU FOUND THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE OF DECISION-MAKING AND NAVIGATING THE WORLD OF SWIMMING DURING THE PANDEMIC?
We are thrilled that over 70% of our swimming lesson customers are back that’s over 100,000 children swimming every week.
The pandemic has and will continue to affect how we deliver our service day-to-day. It has and continues to be a massive learning curve. We have embraced change at every junction and wherever appropriate, adopted efficiencies allowing changes to be made for the greater good of the operation.
Lane swimming has proven very popular during the reopening period with numbers matching those from the previous year, seeing in excess of 250,000 lane swims during a single month in August 2020.
Jacqui Tillman Group Swimming Manager
Customer communications was paramount during this time so we were tailoring communications to all our customers, making sure they were given the information they needed. Updating our website, app and social media pages in co-ordination with our emails and letters was crucial too – we needed to make sure we were communicating consistently across all of our platforms and keeping everyone updated. Colleague training was vital during the early days of reopening, preparing them for th ‘new normal’ and making sure they were confident to implement and manage all reopening measures. It’s been a long, complicated process and working around the clock across our teams but we’re absolutely delighted swimming is back!
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WHAT HAS THE FEEDBACK BEEN LIKE SO FAR? Exceptionally good! We’ve received fantastic feedback from our customers, commenting on how delighted they are with the way the sites are set up, one-way systems have been embraced and cleanliness has been a key feature. “I have just returned from the pool, and just want to say how well organised you were, and the staff were very helpful, It must have taken a lot of thought putting safety measurements into place so congratulations you succeeded.” Anonymous via customer feedback form
IS THE ‘NEW NORMAL’ HERE TO STAY OR CAN WE EXPECT SWIMMING SAFETY MEASURES TO BE RELAXED AT EVERYONE ACTIVE? The new safety measures won’t be going away anytime soon! We have been and will continue to keep ourselves well informed with the latest Government guidance and continue to work with the Governing Body regarding industry guidance to ensure our centres operate safely.
Much of our delivery is online - our digital offering continues to grow and communication with our colleagues and suppliers has all moved online through the Microsoft Teams platform, helping us to stay connected and work closely together.
THE LAUNCH OF WINCHESTER AND CHILTERNS WELCOMING NEW ADDITIONS TO THE EVERYONE ACTIVE FAMILY Despite the challenges the past few months have posed, we are delighted to have welcomed two new partnerships on-board since the start of April 2020.
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THE CHILTERNS On the 1st April 2020, we were delighted to take over the management of Buckinghamshire Council’s leisure centres, after being awarded a 15-year contract earlier in the year. The partnership includes the operation of leisure centres in Amersham, Chesham and Chalfont St Peter, along with the new Chiltern Lifestyle Centre when it opens in 2021. The new centre will be a leisure and community centre, with facilities such as an 8-lane 25 metre swimming pool with viewing, a diving / teaching pool alongside a kids’ splash pad area, four badminton court sports hall, dry diving training facility, two squash courts, climbing wall, children’s soft play area and clip ‘n’ climb, library, café area, pool spectator area, exercise studios, 150 station gym, community centre (events/theatre space and community meeting spaces) and spa. As part of the project, the council is also investing in the leisure centres in Chesham and Chalfont St Peter. Over £4 million will be invested in the Chalfont and Chesham leisure centres to refurbish and update the centres, to ensure continued high-quality facilities are available for the local community. Steve Salwa, Everyone Active’s Contract Manager, said: “It was certainly a unique experience taking over the centres whilst they remained closed, however our teams all worked incredibly hard and we’re delighted to now be a part of the local community. “We’ve since reopened the facilities, following the Government announcement and we’ve been overwhelmed by warm welcome we’ve received and the positive feedback from customers. We’re very much looking forward to getting the redevelopment works underway, and introducing the brand new Chiltern Lifestyle Centre next year.”
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WINCHESTER
On the 1st September, we also welcomed River Park Leisure Centre and Meadowside Leisure Centre on behalf of Winchester City Council. The partnership begun a little earlier than initially planned after we were awarded a short-term contract by the Council to manage the centres until Spring 2021. They will then be replaced with a brand new centre - Winchester Sport and Leisure Park – which is due to open in the spring of next year. The £43 million centre will benefit from a 50m pool, sports hall, four squash courts, three fitness studios, a 200- station state-of-the-art fitness suite, hydrotherapy and treatment rooms and Fun Climbing facility. The new centre will mark the start of our longer-term 15 year partnership with the Council. Alison Norman, Everyone Active’s Area Contract Manager, said: “We’re delighted to be welcomed into the district’s community to manage local leisure facilities and officially begin our partnership with the council. The leisure centres in Winchester and Whiteley are pivotal in providing a wide range of facilities to the community and engaging people from all backgrounds in exercise. “Embarking on a new chapter with colleagues from the centres is incredibly exciting for us, and we’re looking forward to them joining the Everyone Active family, as well as helping more people to improve their health and wellbeing by getting active.”
If you have any questions about this newsletter or would like to offer any ideas about how we can improve it, please email:
newsletter@everyoneactive.com