April 2024
Walking app helps families discover zombies and dinosaurs in Hollingworth Lake and Country Park

11 Jan 2021

An interactive mobile app has helped Rochdale residents discover the great outdoors as part of a new trail on the Love Exploring app at Hollingworth Lake and Country Park.

Link4Life, the Rochdale-based culture and leisure charity, has launched new walking routes on the free Love Exploring app to support members of the local community to stay active and healthy. During the current Covid-19 pandemic, spending time outdoors and being active has never been more important.

The route is based around Hollingworth Lake and Country Park in Littleborough and visitors of all ages can download the free app to discover self-guided walks, learn more about the places they’re visiting, enjoy digital treasure hunts and even use augmented reality to bring some added excitement to the route.

Right now, families can enjoy the dinosaur trail using augmented reality to catch dinosaurs, as well as being able to pose for photos with their newly captured prehistoric friends.

To coincide with the launch last month, there was also a Halloween-themed trail walk which took place between 26 October and 1 November and involved augmented reality skeletons, witches, mummies and zombies. Covering 3.5 kilometres, the walking trail was an ideal distance for families and individuals. During that week, which was also the October half-term holiday in the local area, the route was downloaded more than 1,400 times. Based on two people walking the route per download (one adult and one child), that’s almost 10,000 kilometres of walking.

Claire Costigan, manager of Hollingworth Lake and Country Park at Link4Life, said: “Love Exploring is a fantastic, free way for people to learn more about their parks and open spaces and we’re really pleased to see so many downloads of this wonderful walking route. Our aim was to encourage people in the local area to get outdoors and exercise, and our results show that we’ve achieved exactly that.

“With covid-19 restrictions preventing people from doing many of the things they love, it’s important to remain upbeat and continue connecting with loved ones wherever possible. Our trail route offers an opportunity to do this safely, with a walking route that is suitable for families and individuals of all ages.

“Outdoor exercise should be an important part of everyday routines, now more than ever, and we’re hopeful that by partnering with Love Exploring, we can encourage more members of the Rochdale community to make exercise a priority.”

The downloadable routes on the Love Exploring app are curated with local experts, with interactive maps available to flag particular areas of interest, including historical buildings, local cafes and other key highlights.

Tom Matthews, Creator and Play Innovator at Sprytar, said: “The Love Exploring app has unsurprisingly seen a surge in demand of 500% during the Covid-19 pandemic, with parents and guardians looking to entertain their children outdoors in the fresh air.

“Alongside the dinosaur trail available on the app, a new festive themed Augmented Reality game has recently been added. The activities are self-directed and perfect for family bubbles. They are also a nice alternative to the traditional Boxing Day and New Year walks we typically enjoy.”

More family-orientated themed trails are being developed for the app over the next few months.

The Love Exploring app can be downloaded from the App Store for iPhones and from the Google Play Store for Android.


back
Latest member news
Edinburgh Leisure Appoints New Chief Executive
Edinburgh-based physical activity charity, Edinburgh Leisure, has announced the appointment of a new Chief Executive.
read more...


Withington Baths Receives Sports England Grant to Accelerate its Carbon Footprint Reduction Efforts
Love Withington Baths, the non-profit organisation that operates Withington Baths and co-working space Withington Works, has announced exciting plans to significantly reduce its carbon footprint and enhance energy efficiency thanks to a £105K grant secured from Sport England under the Government’s Swimming Pool Support Fund.
read more...


GLL Celebrate £140k Arts Council Funding
VR headsets, IT hublets and improved seating, shelving and flooring are on their way to Lye Library, Dudley thanks to funding from the Arts Council.
read more...


Much-Loved Library to Receive Grant Funding of Nearly £400,000
One of Redbridge's most popular libraries will benefit from a significant modernisation programme after being awarded nearly £400,000 in grant funding.
read more...


Horizon Leisure Scoops Prize at Portsmouth Business Awards
Horizon Leisure, which operates Havant leisure Centre and Waterlooville Leisure Centre, was crowned Community Business of the Year at the Portsmouth Business Awards earlier this year.
read more...


Portsmouth Tennis Centre celebrated for bringing tennis to all
Portsmouth Tennis Centre has been recognised by the LTA Tennis Awards for bringing tennis to under-represented groups and communities throughout the city.
read more...


Wellness Hub Breaks Down Barriers to Tackle Health Inequalities in North East Lincolnshire
A new report on Lincs Inspire’s Wellness Hub has revealed the difference it is making to community health.
read more...


Grant from Parkinson’s UK Gives Green Light to New Cycle Classes
Everybody Health & Leisure has launched a dedicated group cycling classes for people living with Parkinson's Disease.
read more...


Doncaster Culture and Leisure Trust score partnership with Club Doncaster
Doncaster Culture and Leisure Trust (DCLT) and Club Doncaster have agreed a partnership that will see DCLT as an official sponsor of the Dons RLFC and sponsor of two Belles players.
read more...


BPL Achieves Swim England’s Water Wellbeing Accreditation
AWARD winning community leisure trust BPL has achieved Swim England’s Water Wellbeing accreditation.
read more...


Edinburgh Leisure Scale New Heights Following £100,000 Boost
Edinburgh Leisure’s flagship climbing arena at Ratho has benefitted from a major funding investment from sportscotland’s Sport Facilities Fund.
read more...


78-year-old George’s marvellous weightlifting medicine
Almost an octogenarian, George Travis is still hammering out kettle bell classes as an Active Tameside fitness instructor.
read more...


Cefn Hengoed Leisure Centre Gets Massive Makeover
A Swansea leisure centre has been totally revamped with a £7.5 million investment.
read more...


GLL Starts 10-year Deal to Operate Newham Leisure Centres
The UK’s leading leisure and cultural charitable staff-owned trust, which runs services under the Better brand, has begun a new 10-year partnership with Newham Council that promises to increase physical activity levels and improve the customer experience for residents in one of London’s fastest growing boroughs. 
read more...


more Community Leisure UK member news >>
Business partner news
● Download Gallagher's 2024 brochure
Gallagher already helps protect more than 8,500 charitable organisations in the UK, including a number of Community Leisure UK members. ...more
Latest industry news from leisureopportunities.co.uk
Global summit will bring together industry leaders in health, fitness and wellness
Global publishing outfit, Leisure Media, has announced details of its new annual conference for decision- makers across the health, fitness and wellness markets. The event – the HCM Summit – will be held at the QEII Conference Centre in Westminster, London on 24 October 2024, with pre-summit events the day before.
read more...
09 Apr 2024
Oxygen Consulting deep dives into padel with forthcoming report
Oxygen Consulting is about to launch its first UK Padel Report, which investigates this fast-growing sport.
read more...


05 Apr 2024
Ronaldo crashes the app store with launch of new wellness, fitness and health app, Erakulis
Portugese footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo, has launched a health and wellness app that harmonises advice on fitness, nutrition and mental wellness in one seamless experience.
read more...


04 Apr 2024
New research shows BMI fails as a measure of childhood obesity, leading to flawed policy
Waist circumference-to-height ratio is a more reliable measure of obesity in children and adolescents than BMI according to a new study, published in Pediatric Research.
read more...


28 Mar 2024
4Global and UK Active launch private sector health club benchmarking
The first annual Private Sector Benchmarking report was released today (27 March). A collaboration between UK Active and 4Global, the aim of the research is to provide accurate insight into the state of UK-based private sector health clubs.
read more...


27 Mar 2024
Egym snaps up Hussle as it moves to dominate the corporate wellness market with its Wellpass product
Egym, has signalled its intention to become a dominant force in the corporate wellness sector with the acquisition of UK-based aggregator, Hussle.
read more...


26 Mar 2024
Total Fitness turns a profit as it beats pre-COVID membership
Total Fitness has released results for its most recent financial year (to June 23), which saw a return to pre-COVID membership levels following a year-on-year uplift in membership numbers of 5 per cent.
read more...


25 Mar 2024
Entrepreneurs share secrets of building a fitness business at PerformX
Enjoy building your business because the journey can be as good or better than the destination was one takeaway of the industry titans’ panel on empire building, comprised of three industry entrepreneurs.
read more...


22 Mar 2024
Myzone removes the hardware barrier with launch of MZ-Open, making its system available on smart watches
Myzone is now available on smart watches, allowing Android and AppleWatch wearers to record workouts without an additional device, and taking the tech company into the multi-billion dollar smart watch market.
read more...


more industry news >>
General Meetings
CLUK General Meeting
15 May 2024: Glasgow
Special Interest Groups
Social Value
16 April 2024
Volunteering
24 April 2024
Finance
2 May 2024
For more information about Special Interest Group and regional / national members meetings, please contact [email protected]
Job vacancies
Duty Manager
Salary: £30,000pa + local Govt pension + attractive benefits package
Location: Kirkwall, UK
Company: The Pickaquoy Centre
Read more and apply
Team Leader (Harrow School Fitness Club)
Salary: £13.71 per hour
Location: Harrow on the Hill, Harrow, UK
Company: Harrow School
Read more and apply
Centre Manager (Leisure)
Salary: £40,221 - £42,403pa + pension + benefits
Location: Exeter, UK
Company: Exeter City Council
Read more and apply
Director of Operations
Salary: £61,000 - £64,000 + exceptional pension + excellent benefits
Location: Luton, UK
Company: Active Luton
Read more and apply
Membership Manager
Salary: £29,605 - £32,982pa + pension + benefits
Location: Coventry, UK
Company: University of Warwick
Read more and apply
Chief Executive Officer, Mount Batten Centre
Salary: c£65,000pa + pension + benefits
Location: Plymouth, UK
Company: Mount Batten Group
Read more and apply
more job vacancies >>
Diary dates
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
19-19 Sep 2024
Destination Deluxe Awards & Wellness Day 2024
Bangkok 10120, Thailand
more
01-04 Oct 2024
Synergy - The Retreat Show
Kabupaten Badung, Indonesia
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