The community group who took over a leisure centre to give everyone access to sport and fitness

With the World Cup reaching its exciting conclusion, plenty of people might be tempted to get out of the house and on to a football pitch this summer. But while few of us are likely to be called up for the national team, projects like BeActive Urmston are making sure everyone has the chance to participate.  

“We’re trying to cater to the people who probably don’t have the opportunity to improve their health and fitness in other places,” explains commercial manager Andy Brooks. “So you’re not going to get these people using PureGyms or David Lloyd or wherever else.” 

In 2021, Brooks and his colleagues took over the George H Carnall Leisure Centre in Urmston, Manchester, after the local council announced its closure. The goal was to create a community health and fitness space that was accessible for people of all ages and abilities in the local area. Now, they welcome hundreds of community members each week – from traditional youth football teams and gym-goers to those more comfortable with walking football, walking cricket and walking netball. 

Big Issue Invest has supported BeActive Urmston since 2022. Initially £70,000 of a blended loan and grant investment was used to buy new equipment after taking over the gym. Last year, as a partner of the Energy Resilience Fund, BII helped the organisation gain investment to upgrade its roof to avoid leaks, drafts and save on energy bills.   

Lots of older people and people with health conditions are referred to BeActive by the NHS. “That can usually be quite prescriptive – you get someone with a lung condition, for example, and you train them in the gym in a very specific way,” Brooks explains. “But lots of people with a lung condition or a long-term health condition haven’t ever been to the gym or they don’t really like it. So we do a lot of what we call social activities – playing sports at a lesser intensity.” 

Many of the people who walk through the centre’s doors never imagined they could play football or cricket again, because of their health or their age, says Brooks. But the slower pace of walking sports – which operate under exactly the same rules, just with no tackling and with walking instead of running – provides them another chance.  

“And it’s often the social side, the camaraderie, that keeps them coming back,” Brooks points out. 

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Most of BeActive’s sessions are open to anyone, with no restrictions on age, gender or ability. Others are run in partnership with local charities and aimed at particular groups, like those with mental health conditions or specific disabilities. 

As well as walking sports, there are a wide range of affordable classes available, with everything from chair exercise and social badminton to yoga, Zumba and pickleball on offer.  

The individual benefits are clear to see, says Brooks. He recounts the story of a man who was referred to BeActive by the local pulmonary rehabilitation team and first arrived at the gym with an oxygen mask and tank, struggling to breathe after walking 10 yards. Staff supported him to get started on an exercise bike, first for one minute at a time, building up to two.  

Now, a few years on, the same man leads the centre’s walking cricket and walking football groups, refereeing as well as playing. 

More widely, Brooks says, projects like this plug a much-needed gap in communities. “The NHS are great at doing what they’re paid to deliver for the various conditions in the community, but that’s usually 12-week programmes,” he explains. 

“We’re saving the NHS loads of money, because we’re keeping people out of hospital beds and stopping them needing to be reintroduced to the service when they’re back to square one after six weeks.” 

For anyone with a case of World Cup fever, Brooks’ message is simple – whatever your skill level: “Strike while the iron’s hot, while you’ve got the enthusiasm. Just give it a go. There’s a lot of people who’ve been in the same situation, and now they’re six months or two years down the line. They’ll understand your situation and the level you’re at,” he adds. “And you might find you’re not even the worst player there.” 

Find out more about BeActive

If you are a social business looking to grow, or an investor who wants to make a social impact, contact Big Issue Invest

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