Customers and staff have welcomed a major overhaul of our leisure services as planning for the second phase of the ambitious bid to improve health and wellbeing across North Yorkshire is underway.
Last month we launched our new sport and active wellbeing service, Active North Yorkshire (ANY), and brought the Selby and Tadcaster leisure centres under the new brand.
Officers are now working to bring centres based in Harrogate and the surrounding area into the new service.
The four leisure and wellness centres in Harrogate, Knaresborough, Ripon and Nidderdale, the three wellbeing hubs at Fairfax, Stockwell and Jennyfield Styan, Harrogate’s Turkish Baths, Starbeck Baths and the Little Explorers Day Nursery in Harrogate will move under the Active North Yorkshire banner on 1 December.
Active North Yorkshire is focussed on supporting everyone in the community to be active, with an increased emphasis placed on improving the physical and mental health and wellbeing of the county’s communities.
Customers will still be able access their usual facilities and classes, but there will be additional targeted and locally-based activities and services as well as increased support for community-based sport.
Customers and staff have praised the transfer arrangements in Selby and Tadcaster, which launched on 1 September.
ANY Selby member, Jo Phillips, said: “Extra staff were there to support us all, especially the older members who aren’t great with technology which was great to see. I could book all my classes. The changeover was a credit to everyone involved.”
Fellow member, Cathleen Middleton added: “The changeover was very easy, the app is just about the same and the staff all look very nice in their new uniforms.”
Our executive member for leisure, Cllr Simon Myers, said he was pleased to hear that the first phase of the transition to ANY had gone smoothly.
He said: “Knowing that everything went well for Selby and Tadcaster paves the way for the bigger transfer in Harrogate. We have 10 facilities to move under the Active North Yorkshire brand but we are confident that our systems will work and customers will still be able to access everything as usual.
“This is a very exciting time for the council and for our leisure services as we continue to support the wellbeing of our communities.”
Leisure centres have been managed by five different operators in the former district council areas but under the changes they will all move to be part of Active North Yorkshire, which we will operate as active wellbeing hubs.
Customers using Craven and Hambleton centres will start to see changes this winter as staff begin to wear the new ANY uniform, with websites and apps changing by summer next year.
Changes for the Richmondshire Leisure Trust will come into play in spring 2025 with centres in the former Ryedale and Scarborough areas moving over by summer 2027.
Nearly 3,000 people have taken part in the council’s Let’s Talk Active survey – there are still a few days left to complete it and help shape future services.
You can fill in the survey online or pick up a paper copy from your local library, leisure centre or main local office and return it in the envelope provided.