Edinburgh Leisure, the not for profit social enterprise which manages sport and leisure facilities on behalf of the City of Edinburgh Council, delivers an economic return of nearly 3.5 times its funding level, according to an independent report released on 26 June 2012.

The report, produced by Baker Tillly, reveals that Edinburgh Leisure delivers a 'Social Return on Investment' (SROI) of at least £32.5 million from an investment of around £9 million.

The findings, which are based on assessment of six of Edinburgh Leisure's programmes and services, representing only 60 – 65 per cent of its activities, suggest that the true impact of Edinburgh Leisure is expected to be much higher. 

The SROI methodology is increasingly accepted as a robust means of estimating the economic impact of outcomes resulting from specific investments.  In the case of Edinburgh Leisure, investing in the provision of good quality, accessible and affordable leisure services results in a more active and healthy population who, in turn, require far less medical interventions and fewer days off work. 

Among the key findings are: 

*         Healthcare costs avoided through Edinburgh Leisure's activities total £25.5 million.*         Memberships and leisure cards support business by improving sickness absence costs to the value of £5.2 million

*         The Healthy Active Minds programme (funded by the NHS) working with adults suffering mild to moderate mental health issues delivers benefits of over £2m per annum.*         The Open All Hours youth programme showed a positive impact (including a reduction in anti social behaviour) valued at £368,000.

 The programmes and schemes evaluated within the report were: Membership and Leisure Cards, Swimming Lessons, Healthy Active Minds, Ageing Well (physical activity programmes for older adults), Open all Hours (Youth multi activity programme) and Sports Pitch Hire.

 Edinburgh Leisure Chief Executive John Comiskey said: "This report allows us to start moving beyond measuring and celebrating what we do (such as growing our annual visits to over four million) to an evaluation of the impact of our work from the point of view of the people who benefit directly from it. The move towards embracing SROI is a reflection of our belief that Edinburgh Leisure exists to make a positive difference to communities by creating opportunities for everyone to get active, stay active and achieve more.

"Working in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council we can use the findings of this study to not only demonstrate the value of current investments but also better target future investments in physical activity provision."