Horizon: The leisure company that gives back to the community as a charity

Did you know Horizon Leisure is a charity?

Did you know Horizon Leisure is a charity? As the CEO of Horizon Leisure, it’s a question I ask our customers all the time and the response is almost always, I had no idea.

We’re proud to be non-profit and we want to make more people aware of how we help and support our community. It’s how we differentiate from private gyms, because we have no private owners or shareholders to pay. Every surplus pound generated is invested directly back into improving services and the overall customer experience at our Havant and Waterlooville leisure centres, the Wellbeing Hub at the Meridian Shopping Centre and our outreach programmes in the community. It means we are far more than just a place to exercise.

What does being a charity mean to our community?

Last year we generated almost £10m in social value. This is the monetary value of the wider benefit we provide to society, such as reduced pressure on the NHS and delivering a positive impact on everything from customers’ physical and mental health to overall life satisfaction, as well as reducing crime rates among local young males.

As a charity, we remain focused on bridging the gap between traditional fitness provision and community health, helping more people to live healthier, happier and longer lives. This role has never been more important as we support the NHS 10 Year Health Plan for England, which calls for a shift from treating sickness to preventing ill health, by acting as accessible, non-clinical hubs driving the shift from hospital-based treatment to community-focused prevention and rehabilitation. Through exercise referral schemes, social prescribing and specialised programmes such as our falls prevention classes, we can improve recovery outcomes and help narrow health inequalities for our residents.

Meet some of our trustees!

As a charity we have a board of volunteer trustees who act as the compass and safety net for Horizon Leisure. Behind the scenes, their expertise helps set our big picture strategy, make long term financial decisions and ensure we stay legally sound and true to our objectives. Their guidance helps keep us strong and financially safe and gives our staff the backing they need to make real, lasting decisions that impact the health and happiness of the local community.

Peter Lewis - chair of trustees

Horizon Leisure is so much more than a traditional leisure centre. I’ve seen first-hand how it acts as a community hub, a health partner and a lifeline.

As I walk the patch at our centres, I talk to customers to help gauge our impact on the ground. For example, the mother from Chichester who passes two other gyms on her way to use our centre. She tells me this is because our free crèche gives her a few hours of headspace to feel like herself again and meet friends after her exercise; her child safe with our professional staff. And the nervous visitor to our Wellbeing Hub who, after a friendly chat with our staff, completed a simple health check and found the confidence to start their journey toward a healthier life. These are the moments that capture where our true value lies.

Operating as a charitable trust allows us to occupy a unique and vital space, where our staff work, not for profit, but for the community. When customers use our facilities they are supporting a reinvestment model rather than lining shareholders’ pockets. By keeping those funds within Horizon, we can focus entirely on the long-term growth of our charity to support the wellbeing of local residents. It’s our staff who turn our buildings into a thriving community, providing the professional care and warm welcome that truly changes lives.

Michaela Watkins – Horizon Leisure trustee

My day job, working in A&E, means I often see patients presenting with joint pain, mobility issues, long term conditions and mental health challenges; conditions that could often be managed and, in some cases, even prevented through regular physical activity and lifestyle support.

Poorly managed health conditions and some lifestyle choices have a big impact not just on the individuals themselves, but on employers and the NHS. Millions of working days are lost to these issues every year. Regular exercise does wonders for joint stiffness and muscle strength, as well as pain, mood and weight management.

That’s why I’m passionate about being a trustee and what Horizon Leisure has to offer that helps our community take ownership of their health before they end up in A&E. Horizon’s programmes include a fantastic range of supportive health focused sessions, from dementia-friendly cricket and long-term condition swimming to falls prevention, specialist weight loss programmes and parent and baby sessions supported by a GP and experts from the Breastfeeding Network. Horizon’s approach is collaborative. Their staff are extremely kind and supportive and are always on hand to help.

What services are on offer?

The list is expansive, so before assuming we just offer the gym and swimming, take a look at website for full details of our programmes, as well as information on memberships, timetables and special offers.

• Swimming lessons
• Water polo, artistic swimming, diving and rookie lifeguard lessons
• Specialist SEND swimming lessons
• School swimming lessons (delivering the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum)
• Adult swimming lessons
• Group exercise classes
• Gym workout space
• Free creche
• Trampolining and gymnastics classes
• Holiday camps
• Home education PE lessons
• THRIVE – youth activities
• Soft play
• Parties
• Health referral programme
• Wellbeing hub in the Meriden Shopping Mall
• Communities against Cancer sessions
• ESCAPE-Pain specialist exercise sessions
• Falls prevention classes
• Long-term conditions swimming
• Dementia-friendly sports
• Tea dances
• Parent and baby group, with local GP and breastfeeding experts
• Chair Strength & Balance, Stroke & COPD sessions
• Steady & Strong classes
• Walking groups
• Chair based exercises at a local care home
• FLOURISH weight management programme
• Rehabilitation classes for lower limb and spinal patients