A new sport and active well-being 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 North Yorkshire Council’s plan to bring all its leisure services in-house. The Active North Yorkshire service will be focussed on supporting everyone in the community to be active, with an increased focus on improving the physical and mental health and well-being of the county’s communities.
Currently the leisure centres are managed by five different operators in the former district council areas. Under Active North Yorkshire they will become active well-being hubs. Customers can still access all the current activities, but there will be additional targeted activities for example to support people managing long term health conditions.
There will also be more locally-based activities and services provided and increased support for community-based sport.
North Yorkshire Council’s 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 banner and we want our facilities and services to be accessible for everyone, so we can help to improve the health and well-being of our county.
As the moves take place over the coming months, services will continue as normal, but customers will start to see the name Active North Yorkshire becoming more visible, a name we hope will become synonymous with sport and active well-being excellence.
Customers at Selby and Tadcaster leisure centres will be the first to become part of Active North Yorkshire from September 1 when the move from current operator, Inspiring Healthy Lifestyles, takes place.
They will see changes such as the new name on signs and staff uniforms, and a new customer app and web page. However, they 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, which are available at: www.inspiringhealthylifestyles.org/selby-district
The facilities in the former Hambleton and Craven council areas will also start to adopt the new Active North Yorkshire identity from September.
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.
The council agreed to move to a new sport and active well-being service in January this year following recommendations made in the 2023 strategic leisure review.
It 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.
