Leisure Media Issue 3 2009 - Leisure Opportunities

NEWSHealth & FitnessAnnual fitness industry survey launchedSkillsActive’s sixth UK Working inFitness Survey – one of the largestannual surveys of people working inthe UK health and fitness sector – hasbeen launched online.Conducted by SkillsActive and theRegister of Exercise Professionals(REPs), the survey has been createdto give insight into how the fitnessindustry rewards its workforce as wellas salary levels, job satisfaction andspending on training and development.In previous research for its SectorSkills Agreement, SkillsActive estimatedthat an average 8,500 job openingswere needed in the fitness sectoreach year to meet staff turnover andthe creation of new positions.Jean-Ann Marnoch, registrar ofREPs, said: “It’s really important thatAround 8,500 new job openings are needed every yearas many people take part as possibleto get a good representation of jobsin the industry and to be able to identifyissues at a local level. Last yearwe found fitness professionals werepositive about remaining in the industrybut continued to report a need forimprovements in salaries.”New leisure centrefor St DavidsPembrokeshire County Council (PCC)has unveiled designs for a proposed£1.3m dual-use sports complex, whichis to be established on the site of StDavids Swimming Pool in west Wales.The pool closed on 7 June in order tomake way for the new complex, whichwill include a four-court sports hall, ahealth and fitness suite with changingfacilities and two further changingrooms for external use.PCC has already invested in a newmulti-use games area and the upgradeof three tennis courts at the site, whilefurther work is due to be carried outThe centre will have a health clubto improve the exterior of the adjacentsecondary school.Pembroke-based Cottons Limited hasbeen appointed by the council to constructthe new centre.Health club to addsubterranean poolTop Notch Health Club in Cheshamwill soon feature a £500,000 undergroundswimming pool.General practitioners will be ableto refer patients with disabilities tothe new facility for fitness and rehabilitationsessions. Chiltern DistrictCouncil approved the plans, submittedfor the third time, by sixvotes to two. The previous twoapplications were rejected owing toconcerns over Green Belt land anda lack of car parking spaces.The swimming pool will havefull disabled access and includeswater-based rehabilitation facilities.Queen’s Club gym gets a refurbQueen’s Club in West Kensington,London, has undergone a refurbishmentto its fitness facilities.Established in 1886, the club wasnamed after its first patron, QueenVictoria, and is one of the first lawntennis and racquet clubs in the world.The facility, owned by members fromthe Lawn Tennis Association, has hadits gym doubled in size to 1,800sq ft(1,672sq m). The new gym, convertedfrom former meeting rooms, has beenfitted with £50,000 worth of Cybex kit,including 15 CV stations and strengthequipment from the Eagle and VR1Dual ranges.There is also a dedicated stretch areaand two treatment rooms for massages,osteopathy and physiotherapy. Theold gym has been transformed into anaerobics studio. The club also offers 45lawn tennis courts - 12 grass, 10 indoor,eight shale and clay, four plexi andfour artificial grass courts, in additionto two racket, two regular tennis andthree squash courts.The gym was fitted by CybexISSUE 3 2009 © cybertrek 2009Read Leisure Management online leisuremanagement.co.uk/digital 11