DC Leisure is encouraging disabled visitors to use its local authority leisure centres now that half of them have received accreditation from Inclusive Fitness Initiative.

The company has spent six months preparing for the accreditation and has invested around £100,000 in upgrading facilities and introducing new equipment at the centres, which cover 16 different management contracts. Around 200 staff have also received disability equity training.

To encourage disabled visitors to use the facilities, the company is working with a variety of disabled sports associations as well as the English Federation of Disability Sport, which recently merged with Disability Sport England.

DC Leisure operates 120 sites, 60 of which include gyms.

The company aims to gain IFI accreditation in all the gyms and is working with the IFI to achieve this, said its sports development director, Richard Millard.

“We are proud to be at the forefront of a huge culture change in the leisure industry’s approach to inclusion, disability and access,” he said.

“Many people are unaware that 22 per cent (9.8 million) of adults are disabled, and with an ageing population, this figure is set to rise. It’s important that we do all we can to ensure our facilities can be accessed by the whole community.”