BH Live membership rises as Portsmouth social value reaches £6.4m
BH Live helped generate £6.4m of social value in Portsmouth last year, a new annual report has found.
Portsmouth city councillors recently reviewed BH Live’s performance in the city, after it helped more people become physically active.
BH Live, a charity aimed at encouraging more people to take part in sport and exercise, operates the Pyramids Gym on Southsea seafront and the Mountbatten Centre in Hilsea – both are owned by the council.
Cabinet lead for sport, Councillor Lee Hunt, defended the decision to close the swimming pool at the Pyramids Centre, stating the pool had a “£1m a year subsidy, it couldn’t go on.”
The Pyramids, which has been operated by BH Live since 2013, is now home to a gym and Exploria, an indoor soft play area for children.
The Mountbatten Centre also provides a gym, alongside a swimming pool, sports hall, spa, climbing walls and an inflatable obstacle course.
According to the annual review, covering the year ending March 2025, membership grew to more than 30,000 members across Portsmouth and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole – more than 10 per cent up on the previous year.
In Portsmouth specifically, membership stands at around 6,500 across the city, up on previous years.
The report states: “In Bournemouth and Portsmouth we are generating a social value of more than £26m, supporting healthier lifestyles, reducing health inequalities, and helping people feel stronger, happier, and more connected.”
Officers clarified at a recent cabinet decision meeting that the social value to Portsmouth amounts to £6.4m and will “go up further this year”.
Social value is calculated by assessing the positive impact something has on people, the economy and the environment, before assigning those benefits a financial value.
The review highlights a new sensory room at Exploria, funded by Portsmouth City Council at a cost of £119,000.
It also references a partnership programme with the Andrew Simpson Foundation, which provided swimming lessons to children from the city’s naval communities – with around 2,500 lessons delivered during the review period.
Cllr Hunt said the city is “very well served by sports” with facilities available for athletics, tennis, football, swimming and badminton.
He also pointed to the regenerated Hilsea Lido, scheduled to open in the autumn, and the Bransbury Park Leisure Centre in Milton, which was granted planning permission in late 2024.