Service Spotlight: Leisure Services at South Staffordshire Council

Our leisure centres are dedicated to fostering a healthier community by offering accessible fitness opportunities for all age groups, from children to older adults.

Activities for children and young people

We offer a variety of activities and programmes to engage young people, including:

• Sports-based school holiday activities to keep children active during school holidays.
• The Space Scheme, providing discounted summer holiday access through a partnership with The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.
• Student and apprentice memberships, offering cost-effective fitness options for young adults.
• Swimming lessons catering for all levels, from beginner to advanced.
• Sports clubs and training courses, including aquatic helper courses (ages 14+) and lifeguard/swimming teacher certification (ages 16+).

Learn more about these activities by visiting Activities for Children and Young People.

Adults can benefit from a range of health and fitness services, including:

• Personal health checks and tailored fitness programmes, designed to help you achieve your fitness goals.
• Partnership services with Everyone Health, offering expert support for improving overall health including health checks, weight management and stop smoking programmes.
• Forward to Health scheme, providing specialised one-to-one guidance for individuals with medical conditions.

For further details, visit Forward to Health.

Our commitment extends beyond the leisure centres, promoting health and wellbeing throughout the community.

• Volunteer-led walks: Explore South Staffordshire with free, guided walks of varying lengths and difficulty levels. These walks are perfect for staying active, meeting new people, and enjoying the outdoors.
• Exercise classes for people aged 50+: Held at various community venues, these classes are tailored to help older adults maintain their fitness in a supportive environment.

Discover more about these community initiatives by visiting the website at Health and Wellbeing Community.

The Leisure Services Team has enjoyed a remarkable year of growth, driven by a range of marketing and promotional efforts aimed at increasing membership and revenue. 

• Membership growth

Memberships continue to thrive across our services:

• Fitness Memberships: Approximately 4,000 members.
• Swim Academy Memberships: Currently at around 2,200 members.

These figures reflect a strong and growing community of health and fitness enthusiasts.

• Footfall

The leisure centres have seen a steady increase in visitor numbers at all four leisure centre sites over the past few years:

• 2021/22: 370,500 visitors
• 2022/23: 449,000 visitors
• 2023/24: 535,500 visitors

This upward trend highlights the centres' growing popularity and the team's success in providing engaging, high-quality services to the community.

Through regular marketing and promotional campaigns and the teams’ dedication to service excellence, Leisure Services has demonstrated its ability to drive significant growth in both membership and revenue.