Issuu

A Christmas Quiz,You say? May I? You MAy! Are you a master riddler? Take on our Christmas Quiz and give your brain a whiz!

more everyday

1. If December 31st is the end of the year, then what is the end of Christmas? 2. What is something that travels all around the world like Santa Claus, but never leaves its corner?

Merry Christmas and a Happy New year!

3. It has a body with crispy arms, white eyes, and funny feet. You might love to eat this too. What is it?

From your Trafford Leisure Family

4. I am tall when I am young, and I am short when I am old. What am I?

DECEMBER 2023 ISSUE If there is anything you would like to see included in the next newsletter, please email Morgan at: morgan. gardner@traffordleisure.co.uk

Highlights from around the business in the build up to the festive season plus so much more...

more everyday

A FEW WORDS FROM OUR

CHIEF EXECUTIVE

JO CHERRETT

NOTICE BOARD

Here we would like to shine a light on all our new staff, those who are sadly leaving us, and those who have moved up in the business - an opportunity for us all to welcome, say goodbye and congratulate!

Dear all, How on earth is it 20th December 2023? it only seems like a couple of months ago (and not a full year) since we were closing and clearing out Altrincham Leisure Centre ahead of the works starting! This time next year, move Altrincham will be open and in full swing; 2024 is going to be another exciting year. Another busy few months, a few highlights to share with you... Football and more Football A new partnership agreement has been developed and approved by the Football Foundation, Trafford Leisure, and The Dean Trust, which see’s Trafford Leisure manage the excellent outdoor sport facilities of Broadoak School in Partington from this month. New football partnership agreements have also been developed for the main clubs using the two all-weather pitches, with annual monitoring requirements and expectations on supporting the overall site development plan. Great work from the team at Partington and Stephen Darroch who will lead on the football development plan. The site official opening ceremony will be in January – photos to follow in our next edition. Immersion Cooling Think about our normal gas boilers and then imagine a computer boiler instead. Without getting too technical, computers are quite good at creating heat, imagine if we were able to utilise this heat to heat our pools – well that’s exactly what we are trying to do at move Urmston. It’s called Immersion Cooling and Trafford Leisure have entered into an interim agreement with a company trail blazing this new heating system to see if we can house a “data hub” at move Urmston that would, in turn, enable the pool to be heated – imagine the reduction on our carbon footprint and reduction in utility costs. New People to join the team in 2024 We have successfully appointed a new Finance Manager called Shaun Batson; he joins the Trafford Leisure Team on the 31st January. And then, a first for Trafford Leisure, demonstrating how our business/services have changed – our new IT Manager Matt Abernethy joins us in early February. Partington Closure Big shout out to the team at Partington over the last few weeks. The planned closure that took place (for Kier to carry out come testing/preconstruction work) didn’t quite stick to the timelines. As always, our old buildings throw up a few challenges – but the team have worked hard to reopen the facility and the new layout /look of the gym is a real improvement. Equity, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EEDI Ambitions) Next Steps Following last month’s newsletter where we shared our company statement and ambitions to EEDI, I have been coming out to centres to talk to General Managers, Assistant Managers and Employee Voice representatives about how we can collectively develop a plan that hopefully includes the voices of people who are less represented in Trafford Leisure. I have some ideas, but my experiences are that of a female, white, around a half a century in age (although I still believe I am younger) with my first language being English. I have no lived experience of living with a disability or a faith of Judaism for example, I am not typically under-represented. By collectively talking and listening we can develop a much stronger plan, celebrate what we do well but with all voices listened to, this will help us build on our value led culture and be stronger, more inclusive and achieve a workforce that is truly representative of our community. If you haven’t seen what our Trafford Community looks like, see page x for a quick summary of our Trafford Community taken from the 2021 census. As we come back in the new year, we will start to look at developing a survey for staff and new starters – we need more conversations and your input, to help us to understand all of our people. This will help us identify ways to make improvements; this could be to staff facilities, as part of the refurbishment of our centres. Or, when we state we want to celebrate Diversity – what does this really mean to you... It’s a conversation we want to have more openly. Part of me coming out and talking to some of the team is helping me in my knowledge, to understand the challenges, and why we do somethings in the way we do. My favourite saying from 2023 is “we only know what we know”. If we don’t know something, we should say we don’t – ask people who do know / don’t fear saying something wrong or thinking “we must be the only ones not to know”. Shared knowledge, learning from lived experience will make Trafford Leisure a better company to work for and choose. If you have any thoughts on this area of work, if you have any questions, please speak to your General Manager, Assistant Manager, Employee Voice representative, or me – we may not have all the answers to how we improve our EEDI, but we will certainly figure it out together.

NEW STARTERS

WHERE

POSITION

DATE

Toby Malkin Molly Reynolds-Smith Sophie Peacock Ned Dorrian Harry Cook Sam Harper-Barber Mitchell Rice Olivia Parr Heather Spendlove Aliyah Kanaris-Klusener Stuart Barker Zak Pearson Peter Yates Marzena Glowacka-Fujawa Nina Roberts Annie Platt Charlotte Neal Abigail Turner Leila McMurray Adam Steadman-Byrne Samuel Hewlett Zak Lineham Aaron Schora Bethan Roberts Samuel Sutton Niall Corbishley Abigail Lee Elliot Savage Philip Hoyland Iwan Richards Moses Blair Bethany Hayhurst Mia Stabler Benjamin Overland

STR SAL STR ALG ALG STR STR STR STR STR SSV ALG ALG SAL STR STR SSV ALT STR URM BAR ALG GRA STR HEQ URM URM SAL STR STR URM URM URM URM

Lifeguard & Leisure Assistant Lifeguard & Leisure Assistant Lifeguard & Leisure Assistant Golf Attendant Golf Attendant Swimming Teacher Level 2 Swimming Teacher Level 2 Swimming Level 1 Lifeguard & Leisure Assistant Leisure Assistant Dry Senior Fitness Instructor Driving Range Assistant Driving Range Assistant Health & Fitness Instructor Lifeguard & Leisure Assistant Lifeguard & Leisure Assistant Leisure Assistant Dry Lifeguard & Leisure Assistant Swimming Level 1 Lifeguard & Leisure Assistant Leisure Assistant Dry Driving Range Assistant Senior Fitness Instructor Lifeguard & Leisure Assistant Systems Trainer Leisure Assistant Dry Swimming Teacher level Lifeguard & Leisure Assistant Swimming Level 1 Lifeguard & Leisure Assistant Leisure Assistant Dry Leisure Assistant Dry Leisure Assistant Dry Lifeguard & Leisure Assistant

02/10/2023 02/10/2023 03/10/2023 03/10/2023 05/10/2023 09/10/2023 10/10/2023 10/10/2023 12/10/2023 12/10/2023 16/10/2023 21/10/2023 26/10/2023 01/11/2023 01/11/2023 01/11/2023 01/11/2023 01/11/2023 03/11/2023 04/11/2023 07/11/2023 10/11/2023 13/11/2023 13/11/2023 14/11/2023 21/11/2023 29/11/2023 01/12/2023 01/12/2023 01/12/2023 01/12/2023 01/12/2023 01/12/2023 12/12/2023

LEAVERS

WHERE

POSITION

DATE

Lucie Hamby Adam Steadman-Byrne Felix Squire Sarah Ainsworth Sadie Mannion Annette Cannon Leo Widdall Averil Keen Dylan Milne

STR URM SAL STR STR HEQ STR URM GRA

Swimming Teacher Level 2 Leisure Assistant Dry Swimming Level 1 Leisure Assistant Dry Lifeguard & Leisure Assistant Systems Development & Support Manager Lifeguard & Leisure Assistant Swimming Level 1 Senior Fitness Instructor

03/10/2023 07/10/2023 16/10/2023 31/10/2023 31/10/2023 10/11/2023 21/11/2023 30/11/2023 30/11/2023

One of the things I was asked about in the last week, is what is the difference between Equity and Equality? Equality means each individual or group of people are provided with the same resources or opportunities. Equity recognizes that each person has different circumstances and may need tailored / exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome. Staff Awards My favourite time of the year! It’s great to look back and remember what we have achieved and celebrate your achievements – a celebratory drink or two also! If you haven’t nominated someone, think about the last 12months – who has made a difference? Not long left so please get those nominations in. And I look forward to seeing you on the 20th January 2024. Helping those that need it the most One final word from me. For some of us, and certainly for some of our communities, this can be a tough time of year and over the coming weeks and into January Trafford Leisure will be looking to support our local community hubs in Trafford. We will be asking for food donations, where possible, and setting up a Just Giving page, to try to make sure that we help the hubs, and the people living in and amongst us, with basic food and top up cards for heating. Please look out for this, and, if you are in a position to help at all – please do. Enjoy the festive break and see you all in 2024. Best Wishes,

Jo Cherrett

THEME FOR THE NIGHT DAY AT THE RACES

NATIONAL SUCCESS FOR ALTRINCHAM SC

CLUB OF THE YEAR COACH OF THE YEAR

SATURDAY

Dress to Impress

BRITISH CHAMPION 18

WHAT’S NEW? @ Partington Sports Village An update on the progress of the refurbishment at Altrincham Leisure Centre

MILESTONE 5: A CONVERSATION WITH KIER

4.5 miles

We sat down with Project Manager of move Altrincham, Jon Rowe, to get all the inside info on the refurbishment as we hit Milestone 5!

0 miles

6 miles

To view the full roadmap and more content, head to the link below!

GET READY FOR MILESTONE 5! We are close to reaching a new milestone, so have the link ready below:

https://twmove.co.uk/move-altrincham-staff-updates/ 04

TRANSFORMATION COMPLETE A brand new 3G football pitch has been completed at Partington Sports Village, making that a total of 2 3G’s side by side. This addition will be welcomed with open arms, as demand is sky high from many local sports teams to train and play throughout our typical British winters!

WHAT’S NEW?

BEHIND THE SCENES

@ move urmston

CAREER FAIR

MISSION CHRISTMAS

•

Setting the scene...

•

Trafford Leisure turned BBC NEWS

SPECIAL GUESTS

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

September

October

November

Joe Parry

Jess Smith

Steve Aston

WHAT’S NEW?

CHRISTMAS POOL PARTY

@ Stretford Sports Village

DUTY MANAGER TRAINING GUESS WHO?

UKACTIVE MEET

CYCLE TO WORK

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

September

October

Amiee Morgan-Smythe

Rachel Brindley

DREAM TEAM 15

WHAT’S NEW? WHAT’S NEW? @ Sale Leisure Centre

@ Altrincham Golf Course

FROSTY MORNINGS

HALLOWEEN POOL PARTY

AGC ANNUAL CELEBRATION

ELLA TOONE

SPECIAL GUESTS

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

September

October

November

Olivia Pender

Daniella Fox

Abbie Hargrove

VOLUNTEERS GETTING STUCK IN

WHAT’S NEW? @ Support Office & The Customer Hub

3. UPDATED POLICIES Here at Trafford Leisure we want to ensure that we have an inclusive place to work where we have a thriving, talented, happy and proud team and to help this thew People Team have been reviewing all our policies and procedures throughout 2024. As well as introducing 4 new Policies/Procedures for 2024 included the Menopause, Hybrid Working, Mobile Phone as well as the Trans & Gender Identify we have also reviewed updated or in some cases created other new policies this year which are listed below. All of these are available for you to view on Flex at Flex :: eLearning LMS from Future Fit and we hope you can see that we are a values led organisation who is adapting to become as inclusive an employer as possible.

AN EMOTIONAL FAREWELL

Other Leave

Disciplinary

Grievance

Maternity Leave Policy

Paternity Leave Policy

Parental Leave Policy

Adoption Policy

Fertility Policy

Shared Parental Leave Policy

https://flex.futurefit.co.uk/login

We gathered to say an emotional goodbye to Annette Cannon who is taking a new step in her career after playing a pivotal role at Trafford Leisure for so long. We wish you all the best in your next adventure and we will miss you, Annette!

A TIMELY SNIPPET

From our very own Kevin HEnderson

January

is derived from the Roman God ‘Janus‘.

Janus

has two heads, one looking back & one looking forward.

COSY TRAINING SESSIONS Our amazing hub team huddled together for a day of training sessions in what has been a cold few months for us all; blankets and brews seemed to do the job. Keep it going, guys!

Janitor

also derived from this god, as they represented beginnings, transitions and was the protector of gates and doorways! 13

STAFF UPDATES FROM THE PEOPLE TEAM

XMAS DUTIES

1. NEW STAFF BENEFIT STAFF PASS FOR LEAVERS Our Employee Voice Reps have been requesting that we review the offering of a free staff pass for those that leave the business. The aim is that Trafford Leisure look to reward and recognise those individuals who have shown loyalty to the business with their long service by offering them extended staff passes once they move on from us. As a community interest company we want people to move more and live longer, healthier, happier lives and what better way than to encourage our ex-employees to exercise with us, and in some cases they can even bring a friend. We will be introducing the below from 1st January 2024 for anyone who has over 10 years’ service with Trafford Leisure. I know what you’re thinking!! 10 years wow that’s a long time but actually we currently have around 30% of our contracted employees who (should they leave us – which we really don’t want!) would be eligible for this new benefit!

CAREER FAIR Our Support Office colleagues were in the festive spirits as the

Our people team have had a busy few months worth of visiting career

team worked together to paint the office in Christmas decorations!

fairs, attempting to expand our teams across the business! Pictured

Pictued are Helena and Josh tackling the tree, which proved a

here is Vanessa Francisco with Stretford Sports Village’s finest,

harder task than first imagined

Hannah Reardona and Mark Drummond.

MEET SAM SUTTON!

We welcomed our new System’s Trainer, Sam, to the Support Office team in November! We are very exicted to have you on board and look forward to seeing your development with Trafford Leisure. Here’s a bit about Sam:

2. DBS ANNUAL DECLARATION

Professional Background I’ve worked in the logistics industry for the last Seven years & started training a variety of colleagues, customers of all different age and experience levels over

It’s that time of year again when we all need to complete our online DBS Annual Declaration. These will be issued out via Flex and you will

the last Four years. I am keen on getting started here and meeting all staff over

have until the 31st December 2023 to complete these. These declarations are required from everyone and are essential to ensuring

the various sites.

safeguarding across our business so please do complete them as soon as possible and if you have any questions or queries please speak to your manager.

Personal Background I’m into all things nerdy from Marvel to Star Wars, mad football fan with a season ticket at Manchester United. Fun Fact I was in an Aldi Christmas advert when I was younger.

£ £ £ £ £ FINANCE UPDATE £ £ ££ ££ £ £ ££ £ £ £ £ ££ ££ £ £ ££ £ £ £ £ ££ ££ £ £ ££ £ £ £ £ £ DECEMBER 2023

Take a look at an insightful update from the Finance team for last few months, including August’s financial performance and some great moments that the team wanted to share with us all.

The team are pleased to provide you with a financial overview for our year-to-date position at the end of October 2023. The table below outlines the actual financial performance against the budget for our Sites and support teams.

THANK YOU,

ANNETTE!

November saw us bid farewell to Annette Cannon as she embarks on a new chapter in her career in Gladstone. She had a good turnout for

her leaving do in Sale and lots of tears were shed and fun was had. We would like to express our gratitude for her unwavering dedication

and hard work that she showed Trafford Leisure and we will miss her wealth of knowledge. Luckily she is not to far away to keep in touch with and she joined us for the finance Christmas gathering earlier this month. While we will undoubtedly miss Annette's daily presence, we are excited for her as she takes on new challenges and opportunities. We extend our heartfelt best wishes for success and fulfilment in her new role.

FINANCE FOCUS

A few words from our FD Emma Shackleton as head we into a busy budget season:

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

•

combined with the Altrincham swim program have contributed significantly to the positive variance.

•

mornings throughout November and December to facilitate any queries or question you

•

Partington Sports Village and Stretford Sports Village both also experienced a substantial positive variance in revenue, outperforming the budget by £52,966 reflecting improved collection off booking funds.

may have when filling in your budget. We are here to help you, please use this service!

Numerous projects are being worked upon in the background, including providing

Our refurbished move Urmston site have continued to exceed revenue expectations, contributing significantly to the overall turnout, and currently running at Year 5 levels of the original business plan set pre -covid, even though only in its second full year of trading.

“Budget season is upon us and I know that site teams are working hard to pull the budget together in time for the new year. Finance are running a budget clinic on Monday

All sites have continued to exceed revenue expectations, contributing significantly to the positive variance. Sale Leisure Centre

•

The Non-Operational category witnessed a significant positive variance in expenditure, resulting in a lower-than-expected overall expenditure.

an updated business plan for move Altrincham, assisting the council with the 5 year investment plan for our business, levelling up of Partington, setting up a new cost centre

CHALLENGES

for the new 3G pitches at Partington which will now be known as BOS, reviewing and

amending processes to support the Gladstone upgrade, transition of direct debit process to become an in house function, filling in the gaps left following the exit of our Systems

•

Increased expenditure as we maintain our older sites to enable our business to operate. CHP (combined heat plant) faults have resulted in increased consumption at our Stretford and Sale Leisure Centres putting a strain on this line of budget.

Manager, onboarding our new Systems Trainer, reviewing and investigating the Standard

Debt account on Gladstone….. so please could I ask for your patience and kindness to us as we go about our business-as-usual tasks alongside the project work.”

•

As we work through the investment plan, there is a need to close sites to allow contractors to undertake survey work, which has an affect on our overall business out-turn.

£ £ £ £ £ FINANCE UPDATE £ £ ££ ££ £ £ ££ £ £ £ £ ££ ££ £ £ ££ £ £ £ £ ££ ££ £ £ ££ £ £ £ £ £ DECEMBER 2023

Take a look at an insightful update from the Finance team for last few months, including August’s financial performance and some great moments that the team wanted to share with us all.

THANK YOU,

ANNETTE!

November saw us bid farewell to Annette Cannon as she embarks on a new chapter in her career in Gladstone. She had a good turnout for

her leaving do in Sale and lots of tears were shed and fun was had. We would like to express our gratitude for her unwavering dedication

FINANCE FOCUS

A few words from our FD Emma Shackleton as head we into a busy budget season:

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

•

combined with the Altrincham swim program have contributed significantly to the positive variance.

•

mornings throughout November and December to facilitate any queries or question you

•

may have when filling in your budget. We are here to help you, please use this service!

Numerous projects are being worked upon in the background, including providing

“Budget season is upon us and I know that site teams are working hard to pull the budget together in time for the new year. Finance are running a budget clinic on Monday

All sites have continued to exceed revenue expectations, contributing significantly to the positive variance. Sale Leisure Centre

•

The Non-Operational category witnessed a significant positive variance in expenditure, resulting in a lower-than-expected overall expenditure.

an updated business plan for move Altrincham, assisting the council with the 5 year investment plan for our business, levelling up of Partington, setting up a new cost centre

CHALLENGES

for the new 3G pitches at Partington which will now be known as BOS, reviewing and

amending processes to support the Gladstone upgrade, transition of direct debit process to become an in house function, filling in the gaps left following the exit of our Systems

•

Manager, onboarding our new Systems Trainer, reviewing and investigating the Standard

Debt account on Gladstone….. so please could I ask for your patience and kindness to us as we go about our business-as-usual tasks alongside the project work.”

•

As we work through the investment plan, there is a need to close sites to allow contractors to undertake survey work, which has an affect on our overall business out-turn.

STAFF UPDATES FROM THE PEOPLE TEAM

XMAS DUTIES

CAREER FAIR Our Support Office colleagues were in the festive spirits as the

Our people team have had a busy few months worth of visiting career

team worked together to paint the office in Christmas decorations!

fairs, attempting to expand our teams across the business! Pictured

Pictued are Helena and Josh tackling the tree, which proved a

here is Vanessa Francisco with Stretford Sports Village’s finest,

harder task than first imagined

Hannah Reardona and Mark Drummond.

MEET SAM SUTTON!

2. DBS ANNUAL DECLARATION

Professional Background I’ve worked in the logistics industry for the last Seven years & started training a variety of colleagues, customers of all different age and experience levels over

It’s that time of year again when we all need to complete our online DBS Annual Declaration. These will be issued out via Flex and you will

the last Four years. I am keen on getting started here and meeting all staff over

have until the 31st December 2023 to complete these. These declarations are required from everyone and are essential to ensuring

the various sites.

safeguarding across our business so please do complete them as soon as possible and if you have any questions or queries please speak to your manager.

Personal Background I’m into all things nerdy from Marvel to Star Wars, mad football fan with a season ticket at Manchester United. Fun Fact I was in an Aldi Christmas advert when I was younger.

WHAT’S NEW? @ Support Office & The Customer Hub

AN EMOTIONAL FAREWELL

Other Leave

Disciplinary

Grievance

Maternity Leave Policy

Paternity Leave Policy

Parental Leave Policy

Adoption Policy

Fertility Policy

Shared Parental Leave Policy

https://flex.futurefit.co.uk/login

A TIMELY SNIPPET

From our very own Kevin HEnderson

January

is derived from the Roman God ‘Janus‘.

Janus

has two heads, one looking back & one looking forward.

Janitor

also derived from this god, as they represented beginnings, transitions and was the protector of gates and doorways! 13

WHAT’S NEW? WHAT’S NEW? @ Sale Leisure Centre

@ Altrincham Golf Course

FROSTY MORNINGS

HALLOWEEN POOL PARTY

AGC ANNUAL CELEBRATION

ELLA TOONE

SPECIAL GUESTS

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

September

October

November

Olivia Pender

Daniella Fox

Abbie Hargrove

VOLUNTEERS GETTING STUCK IN

WHAT’S NEW?

CHRISTMAS POOL PARTY

@ Stretford Sports Village

DUTY MANAGER TRAINING GUESS WHO?

UKACTIVE MEET

CYCLE TO WORK

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

September

October

Amiee Morgan-Smythe

Rachel Brindley

DREAM TEAM 15

WHAT’S NEW?

BEHIND THE SCENES

@ move urmston

CAREER FAIR

MISSION CHRISTMAS

•

Setting the scene...

•

Trafford Leisure turned BBC NEWS

SPECIAL GUESTS

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

September

October

November

Joe Parry

Jess Smith

Steve Aston

WHAT’S NEW? @ Partington Sports Village An update on the progress of the refurbishment at Altrincham Leisure Centre

MILESTONE 5: A CONVERSATION WITH KIER

4.5 miles

We sat down with Project Manager of move Altrincham, Jon Rowe, to get all the inside info on the refurbishment as we hit Milestone 5!

0 miles

6 miles

To view the full roadmap and more content, head to the link below!

GET READY FOR MILESTONE 5! We are close to reaching a new milestone, so have the link ready below:

https://twmove.co.uk/move-altrincham-staff-updates/ 04

THEME FOR THE NIGHT DAY AT THE RACES

NATIONAL SUCCESS FOR ALTRINCHAM SC

CLUB OF THE YEAR COACH OF THE YEAR

SATURDAY

Dress to Impress

BRITISH CHAMPION 18

A FEW WORDS FROM OUR

CHIEF EXECUTIVE

JO CHERRETT

NOTICE BOARD

NEW STARTERS

WHERE

POSITION

DATE

STR SAL STR ALG ALG STR STR STR STR STR SSV ALG ALG SAL STR STR SSV ALT STR URM BAR ALG GRA STR HEQ URM URM SAL STR STR URM URM URM URM

LEAVERS

WHERE

POSITION

DATE

Lucie Hamby Adam Steadman-Byrne Felix Squire Sarah Ainsworth Sadie Mannion Annette Cannon Leo Widdall Averil Keen Dylan Milne

STR URM SAL STR STR HEQ STR URM GRA

03/10/2023 07/10/2023 16/10/2023 31/10/2023 31/10/2023 10/11/2023 21/11/2023 30/11/2023 30/11/2023

Jo Cherrett

A Christmas Quiz,You say? May I? You MAy! Are you a master riddler? Take on our Christmas Quiz and give your brain a whiz!

more everyday

1. If December 31st is the end of the year, then what is the end of Christmas? 2. What is something that travels all around the world like Santa Claus, but never leaves its corner?

Merry Christmas and a Happy New year!

3. It has a body with crispy arms, white eyes, and funny feet. You might love to eat this too. What is it?

From your Trafford Leisure Family

4. I am tall when I am young, and I am short when I am old. What am I?

DECEMBER 2023 ISSUE If there is anything you would like to see included in the next newsletter, please email Morgan at: morgan. gardner@traffordleisure.co.uk

Highlights from around the business in the build up to the festive season plus so much more...

more everyday