Fusion Lifestyle Supporting Communities

As a registered charity, we see our role not simply as a leisure contractor, but as a partner to the Council and other stakeholders within the local community.

We set out to have a positive impact on the local communities living around the facilities we manage. Our objective is to deliver high-quality sport, health and wellbeing services that are inclusive and accessible to all without stigma or inequity. In particular, we overcome barriers to participation, including socio-economic, age, gender, disability, cultural and ethnicity.

Our activities and initiatives can be summarised under the following headings:

  • Investment
  • Affordability and equity of access
  • Young people
  • Disabled people
  • Older people
  • Community programmes

Investment

Over the past 10 years, we have completed over £170M of investment with our local authority partners and funding bodies such as Sport England & Heritage Lottery Fund. This programme has brought significant and improved amenity to our local communities, adding to the quality and variety of services and enhancing community wellbeing. 

We have re-instated 16 disused and dilapidated facilities, bringing to the community new and enlarged swimming pools, health and fitness facilities, children's activity facilities, sports halls, outdoor sports amenities and cafés. We estimate that there will be an extra 7 million visits a year as a result.

The Brockwell Lido, Wycombe Rye Lido and Newcastle City Baths investments continue to add value to their localities bringing a wide range of sporting and non-sporting activities to previously derelict sites and driving in excess of an additional 1 million visits a year. Affordability and Equity of Access

Affordability and Equity of Access

A concessionary pricing structure is in place across the portfolio to enable all disadvantaged and low income communities' full access to our services. 8.4 million visits and over 30,000 of regular subscription customers are from hard to reach or low income backgrounds and enjoy concessionary prices. In 2020 Fusion operated:

o Targeted programmes within deprived areas to encourage participation;

o Targeted programmes specifically for the inactive;

o Targeted programmes to improve health and wellbeing and specifically those with health conditions: 

o Funded programmes of sports coaching with free places for children;

o Free access to leisure centres for looked after children.

Young People

Targeted activities included: 

o Teaching young people to swim;

o Delivery of Autism swimming lessons for young people;

o Delivery of Street Games programmes for young people:

o "Looked After Children" and children in care programmes; 

o Sport Camps during holidays to help working parents;

o Challenge You-Inactive kids programme targeting NCMP referrals;

o Discounted swim access for under 16s;

o Child weight management programmes; 

o Sponsorships of young people in the London Youth Games, Mini Marathon  and local sports awards;

o Development of new sports clubs and continued support to local clubs, coaches and volunteers;

o Delivery of School Competitions including Swimming Galas;

o Training, competitions and sustainable pathways in partnerships with national governing bodies;  

o Outreach events, taster sessions and multi sport sessions;

o Junior Membership and delivery of Junior Gym sessions targeting under 19's;

o "Performance Tennis" in partnership with the LTA providing pathway to regional and national competitions;

o Partnership with Youth Services and Youth Offending Teams including concessionary access;

o Delivery of crime prevention sessions including knife-related crime aimed at teenagers from deprived areas;

o Youth Card project aiming to reduce anti social behaviour and engaging the inactive;

o Youth outreach sessions funded by the Police & Crime Commission scheme to offer activities in areas of high ASB;

o Active Girls programmes targeting inactive girls between 12-16 years old;

o Delivery of Friday Night Projects across the organisation encouraging young people to stay off the streets and into programmed activity. 

Disabled People

Activities to promote accessibility and awareness included:

o Free swimming lessons for people with disabilities;

o Extensive staff training in disability awareness, deaf awareness and advanced fitness instruction;

o Installed new Pool Pods into several pools;

o Delivery of swimming lessons for children who have special educational needs;

o Free bespoke sessions and open days for families with disabled children enabling joint activities;

o Dementia sessions, including walking football, Nordic walking, seated exercise and dance;

o Specialised sports sessions including wheelchair basketball, football and tennis, Boccia, trampolining, swimming and badminton;

o "Short Breaks" programme for carers; 

o Sports Days for visually impaired;  

o "Active Body Healthy Minds" programme in partnership with the Charity Mind;

o Active with Ease Programme for people with long term health conditions 

o Challenge ME multi-sport sessions held to offer sport plus coping strategies for people wishing to improve mental wellbeing;

o Delivery of Frame Football for young people with cerebral palsy;

o Worked in partnership with Sport for Confidence to deliver tailored programmes;

Older People

Activities to promote accessibility and awareness included:

o Specialist 60+ sessions including swim, gym, class and sports activity for an all in price;

o Public Health programmes for exercise referral, cardiac & stroke rehab, falls prevention and health walks;

o Dementia Friendly sessions delivered across the organisation;

o Low impact alternative sports including walking versions of Football, Netball, Hockey and Cricket;

o "Health Hub" in partnership with Age UK running taster sessions;

o Older peoples "No Strings" and "Essentials" badminton sessions;

o Men's Health, offering health MOT's and cancer awareness;

o Chair based exercise classes in partnership with community housing organisations; 

o Escape knee pain sessions and stop smoking advice sessions;

o Expansion of the Young at Heart programme; 

o Mindfulness and Relaxation workshops to promote health and wellbeing;

o Myzone programme with Heart Smart participants demonstrating opportunity to reduce NHS costs;

o Healthy Choices Day promoting food awareness and diabetes prevention;

o National Diabetes Prevention Programme;

o Mental Health awareness and support programmes;

o Delivery of physical activity sessions, targeting residents with Parkinson's, MS and Dementia;

o Delivery of multi-sports sessions designed to go into care homes and give the clients some seated exercise, including dementia based sessions; 

o Cardiac tennis sessions to support people transitioning from cardiac rehab programme to everyday exercise;

Community and Health Programme

Fusion seeks to promote sport and active leisure participation to the widest possible community, and to engage positively and inclusively with those who do not normally take part in active leisure. We maintain an exciting programme of general appeal events in our sport and leisure centres. In 2020 these included:

o Participation in national fund raising and awareness events including Race for Life;

o Organisation and support for local fun runs, five a side tournaments, health events, school fares and local authority shows;

o Local volunteers delivering programmes such as walking for health across the organisation. 

o Delivery of open days where the local community are invited to use facilities free of charge;

o Community placements and work experience for young people; 

o Active for Life Programme delivering EOR, Cardiac Rehab and Stroke Rehab;

o Host Coach and Teacher Education courses;

o Workplace Health programmes;

o Delivery of the FANS scheme offering Free Access to National Young Sportspeople.

o A Wellbeing cafe Project is launched in Charnwood. This is a safe place where people with Mental Health challenges can come, talk to people, get support and join in with different sport activities.

o Delivered a range of activities for National Fitness Day across all sites. 

o Partnerships with Good Gym, Our Parks & Beat the Street to increase physical activity and wellbeing.

Women

Activities to promote accessibility and awareness included:

o Delivery of This Girl Can programmes;

o Delivery of Women's Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced  Running Groups 

o "Back to Netball" and "Walking Netball" sessions in partnership with the national governing body;

o Women's Tennis and Women Only Swimming; 

o Delivery of swimming and gym sessions for Muslim women;

o Specially designed sessions for new mothers such as "Legs Bums, Buggies and Mums";

o Parent & toddler ice skating sessions;

o Women's Get Active Programme, delivering exercise classes in community venues;

o Women Time providing exercise classes for the victims of domestic violence;

o Women's only Squash and Badminton Programmes. 

o Active Mums Cycling Project

Active Life

Public Benefit

Active Life's vision is for everyone in the district to have an equal opportunity to be as healthy as possible, both physically and mentally, by participating in active recreation. 

The service is provided to ensure all sectors of the community have access to affordable good quality sports and fitness facilities. In turn vast swathes of research point to the benefits of active recreation to health, well-being, family cohesion and community, not to mention the reductions on pressures on the NHS, Social Services, and reduced crime and anti-social behaviour. Active Life has worked with over 68 organisations during 2019 securing circa £42,000 of external support funding for the development of sports and physical activity in the district.  Active Life will continue to provide a wide range of good value activities for the whole community and not just those that can afford to do so, thereby maximising social return for the resources expended. 

The partnership between Active Life and Fusion Lifestyle demonstrates the commitment to continue to develop and expand the service in the short, medium, and long term, setting out the planned activities to achieve mutually agreed objectives and the links to the relevant Council aims from its Corporate Plan. Including: 

o Contributing to the good health of local people;

o Inspiring people through a wide range of cultural activities and opportunities;

o Focussing community support on those in most need of it;

o Enabling infrastructure improvements to regenerate our urban spaces and deliver economic growth;

o Making our city, towns and villages places to be proud of.

Partnership Objectives:

1. To increase participation in sport and physical activity in the facilities

2. To enable investment into and improvement of the facilities and services delivered from the facilities

3. To ensure that the facilities are managed in a manner which is inclusive and accessible to as wide a range as possible of the local community

4. To provide long-term security for the facilities, ensuring the facilities and services are delivered in a manner which is sustainable in the long term

5. Increase awareness of the benefits of physical activity to the whole community

6. Develop a community engagement remit specifically targeting the inactive and more vulnerable and disadvantaged who are less likely to participate

7. Build capacity to incorporate facilities for the health promotion programmes

8. Continue to develop strategic relationships and programmes in the health and education sectors