12 months on, following a six-figure investment at a local leisure centre, BH Live is pleased to see more people are now being regularly active at BH Live Active Pelhams in Kinson, North Bournemouth.
The centre’s gym and studio facilities were completely transformed in 2023 thanks to a £600K investment from BH Live, the registered charity and social enterprise that operates the centre in partnership with BCP Council.
Since then, the team at the centre has recorded more than 190,000 visits to group classes and the gym and 66,000 swims – that’s a 59.6% increase from the previous year. Pay-as-you-go attendance has grown too and more than 600 additional BH Live Active members have joined the Pelhams community.
Pelhams is consistently evolving to inspire more visitors of all ages and abilities to participate in physical activity for improved health and wellbeing. Its Wellness Hub, complete with power-assisted machines, is helping those who need a more supported exercise programme. Additionally, several new health and wellbeing programmes have launched to target inactive people, including those with long-term health conditions or injuries. The centre’s group class programme has also expanded to include more wellness, high-energy and Les Mills™ fitness routines following customer demand.
The centre is a thriving hub of activity for local families too. Over the past 12 months, its popular Swimming Academy delivered more than 4,200 hours of lessons to pupils of all ages and abilities. This summer, BH Live also invested in a brand-new pool inflatable attraction – Raptor Run to attract older children and families into the pool. Alongside popular pool sessions such as Wet & Wacky, thousands of children have since run, jumped, played and discovered the benefits of getting active in the water. Popular for parties too, more than 100 birthday parties have been hosted in the pool, football pitches and soft play area.
Recently, the team at the centre has taken steps towards becoming more sustainable and achieving Green Mark Level 2 accreditation. This is a scheme that reviews organisations’ sustainability performances and identifies steps on how businesses can save energy, reduce waste, and become more environmentally responsible in their everyday processes.
Furthermore, an assessment earlier this year by Right Directions, Sport England’s trusted trade body, awarded a ‘Very Good’ grade to the BH Live Active team at Pelhams for its cleanliness and customer service with the assessor stating that “it was one of the best facilities I have visited this year”.
Currently underway is a further £240k BH Live investment to overhaul six of the centre’s outdoor 3G rubber crumb artificial training pitches that are used by hundreds of footballers each week. This project is due to complete later in November 2024.
On behalf of BH Live, Summer Sweatland, Centre Manager, shared;
“Pelhams is a vibrant community leisure centre – and the facilities here are just getting better and better. Over the past 12 months, there has been so much to celebrate. Major projects have completed to improve the gym and class facilities. We’ve launched new activities and attractions to inspire more people to come through our doors and get active. And we are taking steps to be more sustainable.
“Customer feedback has been brilliant, with thousands of people including clubs, community groups, and families regularly visiting us every week. The investment BH Live is making is having an incredibly positive impact in North Bournemouth and it is a privilege to be making a difference to people’s lives.”
Pelhams is a popular leisure centre with a large gym, two swimming pools, daily classes in its three group exercise studios, outdoor tennis courts, a café, Wellness Hub, and more. There is lift access to all floors and accessible family-friendly changing rooms.
In the improved gym, high-specification cardio fitness equipment appeals to those looking to improve their overall fitness, strength, and mobility. Strength training has been powered up with new lifting platforms, plate-loaded machines, and functional equipment.
There is also improved space for pre and post-workout stretching, and mobility work.
Last year, the centre’s group cycle experience was relaunched with brand-new high-spec training bikes from TechnogymTM, with interactive features, plus MyWellness and Myzone fitness tracking.
Visit bhliveactive.org.uk/pelhams for further information.