More than half a million pounds of social value generated by city’s leisure services

This figure has been calculated by Bristol City Council’s Social Value Portal (SVP) which seeks to measure the social, economic and environmental benefits of an organisation.

The community-based approach focuses council partners who deliver various services to make sure social value is a key indicator to success.

These indicators include increasing local apprenticeships, supporting community projects, working with education providers, spending money in the community, employing people from certain areas, green travel initiatives, promoting local skills and more.

The SVP applies a monetary value to an activity or outcome, representing ‘value for money’ based on the wider benefits it brings to local communities.

The council works in partnership with leading leisure operator Everyone Active to manage five leisure facilities across Bristol. These include Easton Leisure Centre, Bristol South Swimming Pool, Henbury Leisure Centre, Horfield Leisure Centre and St Pauls Community Sports Academy.

As part of its sport and leisure provision, Everyone Active focuses on creating opportunities in communities that are traditionally underserved and ‘left behind’.

One of the indicators is providing support for local community projects. Everyone Active partnered with Mwanzo Project and Learning Partnership West earlier this year to reduce youth crime rates in the city – offering free memberships to young people considered ‘at risk’ of engaging in antisocial behaviour.

Prior to that, Everyone Active offered free memberships to evacuated residents of Barton House.

Cameron Bate, contract manager at Everyone Active, said: “It’s our mission to make sure everyone has an opportunity to engage in the health and wellbeing services we provide, no matter their background or circumstances.

“We remain unwavering in our commitment to delivering social value in partnership with Bristol City Council to achieve our shared objectives.

“We’re really proud of the £700,000 we’ve already generated in social value in the first 18 months of our new partnership, and we look forward to significantly building on that number in the coming years.

“We are focused on continually developing and growing the partnerships across the city to support communities in Bristol.”

In line with its future goals, Everyone Active in Bristol has appointed a Civic Partnership Manager – the first of its kind in the leisure industry. Filling the new post is Daniel Palmer, anexperienced, Bristol-based diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) consultant with expertise in community development and social mobility.

Commenting on his new role, Daniel said: “I’m delighted to join Everyone Active as its first-ever Civic Partnership Manager to help deliver on the social value commitments we have in place with Bristol City Council.

“It’s amazing to see the huge amount of social value that leisure centres across Bristol have already generated for the city, and it highlights just how vital sport and leisure facilities are in creating a healthier, more inclusive society.

“My vision for Bristol is to continue bridging the health inequality gap, putting our focus into underrepresented groups within our community and creating opportunities for everyone to reap the physical and mental benefits of physical activity.

“We’ve identified a number of priorities that will help towards achieving this vision, such as developing community-based programmes, improving DEI training, and forging new local partnerships.”

Councillor Stephen Williams, Chair of the Public Health and Communities Committee, said: “It is great to see Bristol’s leisure facilities having such a positive effect on the city and generating such substantial social value.

“Being active is important for peoples’ physical and mental health. As a regular swimmer and gym user myself, I know what a difference regular exercise makes to my wellbeing.

“By providing access to physical activity and wellness support, Everyone Active is helping more people across Bristol the opportunity to lead healthier, more fulfilling lives."