March 2024
Vision remain creative and resilient during lockdown

01 Jun 2020

The Coronavirus has seen many parks throughout London close their gates at some point during the last few weeks in order to deal with the sheer volume of visitors especially during the hot weather.

Under the management of Vision Redbridge Culture & Leisure, Redbridge have kept all of their parks open which is no mean feat in one of the most challenging times that most of us have faced. For Vision, the stars of the show throughout this pandemic have been their Parks Service who have managed to keep all 50 Parks and Open Spaces safely open throughout lockdown and coped admirably with the changes in messaging from stay home to stay alert! Not without its challenges, especially during the good weather, the rangers and maintenance teams have remained positive and united in delivering a first class service keeping the parks clean, safe and well maintained.

With the mantra, If you can't come to us then we'll come to you, Vision RCL Culture & Libraries has adapted the way in which it serves the residents of Redbridge by pulling together a veritable treasure trove of events, exhibitions and activities to keep people busy, healthy and creative during lockdown!

With online content ranging from dance classes, drama workshops, performances, concerts, craft activities, puzzles, Lego challenges, escape rooms, story times, art tutorials, book groups, code clubs, museum tours plus a newly developed Murder Mystery online game, the teams' at Vision have adapted well.

Redbridge Drama Centre present a daily online storytime which has had in excess of 50,000 views along with a weekly Tea and Talk interview session with the theatre Director and local residents which has enjoyed 5,000+ views to date.

Vision's interactive Escape Game, The Valentines Anomaly was moved online and over 600 people have been brave enough to attempt to solve it. And on the back of this success, at the end of April, Vision launched RDC Murder Mysteries, a series of four online games requiring participants to act as detectives, interview suspects, examine the facts and hopefully solve the crime. The first 3 games sold out and more times were added to cope with the demand.

For the VE Day celebrations on Friday 8 May, Vision's culture teams provided many online activities to commemorate this historic moment in time enabling people to celebrate safely from home. At the same time Vision's Redbridge Museum Service produced a film about the Second World War in Redbridge which took the Museum directly into people's homes showing them how evacuation and rationing had affected people, it also featured information about the home front, the war effort, air raid damage and victory celebrations.

And just because the libraries are closed doesn't mean that you cannot borrow! The teams have been busy promoting their virtual library allowing library users to discover a world of e-books, films, e-audio, newspapers, magazines and courses for free using their Redbridge library card.

And the demand for these services has been phenomenal! e-books and e-audiobook saw an increase in downloads by over 300% from March to April 2020, with over 8,600 borrowed since 1 March.

A total of 75,000 newspaper and magazine articles have been downloaded across our e-platforms since 1 March, which is a whopping 210% increase in downloads since February 2020.

1,847 films downloaded through Kanopy, Redbridge Libraries' free classic and independent film streaming service during lockdown.

(Figures correct as at end April.)


back
Latest member news
Aura Wales’s wins inclusive award
Aura’s Sports Development Team has recently received the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Sport and Physical Activity’ Award by the Get Out Get Active programme in North Wales, a partnership between Disability Sport Wales and Pride Cymru, to support disabled and non-disabled LGBTQ+ people.
read more...


Edinburgh Leisure support employees with family wellbeing
Two-thirds of parents in the UK are worried about their children’s mental health. And rightly so, as 1 in 6 children in the UK are experiencing mental health problems.
read more...


Groundbreaking insights: MPower by Enable transforms workplace experiences for menopausal women
MPower by Enable is proud to unveil its latest findings, from new data drawn between July and December 2023, marking a significant milestone in the journey to revolutionise workplace support for women navigating perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms.
read more...


GLL delight at Copper Box Arena contract extension
A decade on from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) has appointed charitable social enterprise GLL, the operating contract for the Copper Box Arena at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park; continuing to build on the venue’s hugely successful legacy.
read more...


Library adaptation to create greater focus on health & wellbeing in Luton
After winning the long-term contract to run Luton Libraries, Active Luton is investing £250,000 in a major refurbishment of Luton Central Library.
read more...


Mytime Active begin £400,000 refurb with focus on layout to reduce gym intimidation
Mytime Active has begun a major refurb of one of their key sites and are putting a big focus creating a layout that reduces 'gym intimidation’.
read more...


Children and families in temporary accommodation get half term boost with free leisure activities
Oldham Council has teamed up with the charitable trust Oldham Active (Oldham Community Leisure) to provide children living in temporary accommodation and their families with free passes to Oldham Active’s five wellbeing centres.
read more...


Sport Aberdeen introduces walking football for individuals living with Parkinson’s Disease
Award-winning charity Sport Aberdeen is excited to announce - alongside North East Active Parkinson’s Group, Parkinson’s UK, Robert Gordon University, and AFC Community Trust - a new Walking Football session for those living with Parkinson’s Disease.
read more...


Exercise classes for people with neurological conditions worth “Every Penny”
Exercise classes for people with neurological conditions at Bolton Arena Sports Village are worth every penny, according to one of their participants.
read more...


New healthy partnership between Doncaster Culture and Leisure Trust and University Campus Doncaster
A new partnership between Doncaster Culture and Leisure Trust (DCLT) and University Campus Doncaster (UCDon) will support students in their learning, focus on their health and fitness and bring wellbeing opportunities to DCLT Choose Fitness members.
read more...


Couch to Race for Life sessions launched by Doncaster Culture and Leisure Trust
New sessions to get people moving and to raise awareness of cancer prevention have been launched by Doncaster Culture and Leisure Trust (DCLT).
read more...


A love of artistic swimming wins Elizabeth Regional Coach of the Year Award
A love of artistic swimming has saved a local club from folding and won its head coach a regional award.
read more...


Oldham Active in Greater Manchester launch new look gyms following a £750k investment
Oldham Active (Oldham Community Leisure), the charitable trust that operates leisure facilities in Greater Manchester has launched its ‘new look’ gyms following a £750,000 investment.
read more...


more Community Leisure UK member news >>
Business partner news
● Cyber Threats and Social Media: Who Are You Sharing Your Data with?
With a growing reliance on social media comes an increased risk of hacking and data theft. Keeping up to date with the latest threats can be challenging, but it’s important to know what to look out for and how to help keep sensitive data secure. ...more
● EGYM and Precor enhance existing Global Partnership
Precor, the pioneer of connected commercial fitness equipment and EGYM, the global fitness technology and corporate health innovation leader, continue to pave the way with their latest integration on the third generation of Precor cardio consoles. ...more
Latest industry news from leisureopportunities.co.uk
Everyone Active takes over iconic London Aquatics Centre, plans to invest £1 million
Everyone Active has taken over as operator of the London Aquatic Centre on behalf of the London Legacy Development Corporation.
read more...
06 Mar 2024
UK government launches Our Future Health, a world-leading preventative research programme with a five-million-strong sample
The UK's National Health Service (NHS) is looking for recruits ahead of undertaking its largest- ever research programme.
read more...


04 Mar 2024
Fitness on Demand does a deal to deliver Les Mills content on its platform
Global digital fitness and engagement platform, Fitness On Demand has teamed up with world- leading workout creator, Les Mills, to offer an omnichannel fitness solution.
read more...


29 Feb 2024
Orangetheory and Self Esteem Brands are to merge to form a $3.5 billion business
Orangetheory and Self Esteem Brands have revealed plans to merge 'as equals' creating a new company with around US$3.5 billion a year in sales and 7,000 franchises in 50 countries.
read more...


29 Feb 2024
Samsung launches first smart ring to support health, fitness and wellness
Samsung has unveiled a smart ring, packed with innovative technologies to aid health and wellbeing, which will be available later this year.
read more...


28 Feb 2024
Yale study shows HIIT can reverse nerve damage caused by Parkinson’s
According to a pilot study by Yale School of Medicine, exercise can not only slow down the neurodegeneration associated with Parkinson’s Disease, there is evidence it can even reverse the damage.
read more...


28 Feb 2024
Self Esteem Brands reports results, does deal with Apple Fitness and reveals plans to crank up international expansion
Self Esteem Brands (SEB), owner of Anytime Fitness, has released year-end results which show year-on-year revenues up by 12.3 per cent and the launch of 500 new franchise units globally.
read more...


26 Feb 2024
The Gym Group revolutionises training for midlife women with industry-first programme
Following a successful pilot, The Gym Group is rolling out a programme, delivered by The Well HQ, educating its trainers on how best to support midlife women.
read more...


23 Feb 2024
Eight leisure operators issued warnings over the use of biometric data
The ICO has ruled that eight leisure operators have been unlawfully processing the biometric data of their employees to be used for attendance checks and the resulting salary payments.
read more...


more industry news >>
General Meetings
CLUK General Meeting
15 May 2024: Glasgow
Regional Meetings
South West Regional Meeting
8 March 2024
Wales Regional Meeting
9 April 2024
Special Interest Groups
Culture
7 March 2024
Swimming & Aquatics
13 March 2024
Sustainable Buildings
14 March 2024
Health Scotland
20 March 2024
Sales & Retention
3 April 2024
Culture
4 April 2024
i-Trent
8 April 2024
For more information about Special Interest Group and regional / national members meetings, please contact [email protected]
Job vacancies
Relationship Officer - Physical Activity and Sport
Salary: £40,005 - £43,824pa + local govt pension + benefits
Location: Westminster, London, UK
Company: City of Westminster Council
Read more and apply
more job vacancies >>
Diary dates
11-14 Apr 2024
FIBO Global Fitness
Cologne, Germany
more
22-24 Apr 2024
UK Aufguss Championships
York
more
10-12 May 2024
Asia Pool & Spa Expo
Guangzhou, China
more
23-24 May 2024
European Health Prevention Day
Wiesbaden, Germany
more
30 May - 02 Jun 2024
Rimini Wellness
Rimini, Italy
more
08-08 Jun 2024
Global Wellness Day
Various
more
11-13 Jun 2024
World Festival
Singapore, Singapore
more
12-13 Jun 2024
Elevate
London, United Kingdom
more
03-05 Sep 2024
ASEAN Patio Pool Spa Expo
Bangkok, Thailand
more
22-25 Oct 2024
Interbad
Germany
more
more diary dates >>
Business partners
Contact Community Leisure UK


Kirsty Cumming, Chief Executive

Tel: 020 7250 8263
[email protected]
Submit news


The Community Leisure UK ezine is published in association with leisureopportunities.co.uk

Please email news and images for consideration to [email protected]
Your subscription


To add a colleague to this mailing list click here

This e-zine is produced and distributed on behalf of Community Leisure UK by Leisure Media, publisher of Leisure Opportunities, HCM and Sports Management