Future Southwell Leisure Centre provision

As you know we’ve been keeping you up to date on developments in relation to Southwell Leisure Centre.

Southwell Leisure Centre is currently operated by Active4Today on behalf of Southwell 
Leisure Trust. As it looks ahead to the future, the Trust is looking for a new operator for a 15-
year period. 

Active4Today operates several leisure centres and partner sites and has a large offering, 
including sports development. However, its operating model for its leisure centres, which
includes a fixed fee, multi-site, single badged membership offer, would not be suited to the 
long-term operation of Southwell Leisure Centre and the Trustees aspiration. 

While the Trust formulates its longer-term plans for its operation, Active4Today has agreed 
to continue to support the Trust to run the Leisure Centre until March 2026.

The Chair of the Board at Active4Today, Andy Freeman, said:

“We wish the Trust the best in achieving its ambitions and finding an operator that can 
support them.

“We have informed them and our staff that we will not be submitting a bid for the new 
contract. We will work closely with our experienced and loyal staff team, who work at 
Southwell Leisure Centre to ensure they are fully supported and understand all available 
options to them.

“Our customers are really important to us too; they are the reason we continue to run leisure 
services. Active4Today will remain as leisure operators in the district and continue to operate 
Leisure Centres in Ollerton, Blidworth and Newark, where our members can continue to 
access all our facilities.”

In the meantime, Active4Today will carry on collaborating and working with the Trust to 
ensure a smooth handover to the new operator.