A campaign has been launched to raise awareness of the way leisure trusts operate – including their ethos on protecting services and serving local communities.

Instigated by Warrington-based community interest company LiveWire, the programme has been fuelled by research which found that 76 per cent of the local community wrongly believe LiveWire to be an arm of the local authority.

The #LoveLiveWire campaign aims to broaden awareness LiveWire's status as a community interest company and its business model – mainly, to improve physical and mental health of the area's residents with all revenues re-invested back into services.

The company has received the support of Community Leisure UK – formerly sporta – the body representing charitable leisure trusts across the UK.

Emma Hutchinson, LiveWire MD, said: “We are driven by local needs, but not everyone knows or understands that.

"This is why the #LoveLiveWire campaign is such an important one. We need to generate more noise locally and nationally about what leisure trusts like LiveWire are achieving and how we operate.

Cate Atwater, Community Leisure UK chief executive, said that there are other UK regions which too would benefit from similar awareness campaigns.

“There is a genuine need, right across the country, to raise the profile of not-for-profit trusts and how they are a sound choice for people looking for options to support their leisure and lifestyle needs," Atwater said.