A new sport and active wellbeing service will be launched in September when Selby and Tadcaster’s leisure centres become the first to move under the banner of the newly formed Active North Yorkshire.

The move is the first stage of our plan to bring all leisure services in-house and concentrate on improving the physical and mental health and wellbeing of our communities.

Currently the traditional leisure centres are managed by five different operators in the former district council areas.

Under Active North Yorkshire, they will become active wellbeing hubs, and there will also be more locally-based activities and services and increased support for community-based sport.

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Our executive member for leisure, Cllr Simon Myers, said: “September heralds the first stage in our exciting plans for leisure services in the county. We are bringing all our services under one roof and changing the focus of the service to allow us to help to improve the wellbeing of our county.

“All the moves should be seamless with customers continuing to experience the high levels of service on offer, but slowly over the next few months the name Active North Yorkshire will be more visible, a name we hope will become synonymous with sport and active wellbeing excellence.”

Customers at Selby and Tadcaster leisure centres will be the first to become part of Active North Yorkshire from 1 September when the move from current operator, Inspiring Healthy Lifestyles, takes place.

However, apart from the new name on signs and staff uniforms, and a new customer app and webpage, very little will change. Customers will still be able to access their local centre, be greeted by the same team and enjoy their favourite classes and activities.

Plans to make the move as smooth as possible for customers are in place, which includes direct communications to keep them informed and answer any queries they may have. Frequently asked questions have also been created.

The facilities in the former Hambleton and Craven council areas will also start to adopt the new Active North Yorkshire identity from September.

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Services currently provided by Brimhams Active in the Harrogate area and Richmondshire Leisure Trust will move to Active North Yorkshire by spring 2025.

The last phase will see the transfer of facilities and services currently provided by Everyone Active in the former Ryedale and Scarborough council areas in 2027.

Elected members agreed to move to a new sport and active wellbeing service in January this year following recommendations made in the 2023 strategic leisure review.

Councillors also approved the creation of a leisure investment strategy, which will look at the condition of each site, its future role and sustainability as part of the new service model and identify sites where investment is needed.