Tanni Grey-Thompson believes a paradigm shift is necessary to address the UK’s inactivity problem, which costs £20bn each year and is the fourth biggest cause of disease and disability. Her vision involves a £1bn regeneration scheme which would transform the UK’s ageing fleet of leisure centres into community wellness hubs. Swimming pools, sports halls and gyms would be combined with GP drop-in centres, libraries and police services to create one-stop shops for public services – all of which would, she believes, bring huge opportunities for the health and fitness sector.
She explains: “By co-locating leisure, health and other community services, we can remove barriers to physical activity and make wellness hubs the preventative frontline of the NHS.
“Figures show such wellness hubs can drive greater levels of activity and have a profound impact on community health – all of which brings significant opportunities for both public and private gym operators. I genuinely believe wellness hubs hold the key to unlocking greater penetration rates for gyms nationwide, moving us well beyond the 14 per cent and taking physical activity truly into the mainstream.”
So what do we need to do to make this vision a reality, and how have the sport and leisure sectors responded to Grey-Thompson’s call to action?