Horizon Leisure’s Havant and Waterlooville sites shortlisted for prestigious national awards

Havant Leisure Centre has been shortlisted as Local Authority/Leisure Trust Gym of the Year.

And Waterlooville Leisure Centre has been selected for the prestigious Regional Gym of the year (South) category.

The National Fitness Awards is the UK’s biggest free-to-enter fitness awards, recognising excellence and achievement in the active leisure sector throughout the

country.

In both categories, judges considered what makes Horizon Leisure’s Waterlooville and Havant Leisure Centres stand out, focussing on customer service, retention and innovation.

Mike Lyons, CEO Horizon Leisure, enthused: “Two nominations – what incredible news to receive!

"Gaining national recognition for the hard work of our teams, who consistently deliver outstanding contributions to local community, is genuinely exciting.

“Horizon Leisure has a commitment to providing accessible and affordable provision for everyone.

"Our goal is to create enjoyable experiences that motivate people to enhance their health and wellbeing; positively influencing their lives, in alignment with our

charitable objectives.

"In the last year we’ve seen a 31% increase in memberships; we’re now exceeding pre-pandemic numbers, with group exercise visits up 26% and gym visits up 25% year on year.

“Over the last 12 months we have generated £7 million in social value for Havant Borough, something we are truly proud of.

"It is that social and environmental value that allows us to deliver our vision of inspiring happier and healthier communities.”

The awards are organised by Script Events in conjunction with leading fitness industry magazine Workout, with support from headline sponsor ServiceSport, and in each category up to seven finalists have been selected.

The next stage of the judging process involves a visit to each finalist by a member of the awards team who will visit the facilities and chat to members and staff before compiling a comprehensive report.

Overall winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in Leicester in late November.

Horizon Leisure Centres is a charitable trust based in the south, with their two leisure centres in Havant and Waterlooville regularly attracting over 1.3 million visits a year. In 2017, visitor figures topped the 1.7 million mark.

Both gyms are no stranger to awards success. Readers of The News voted the Havant side this paper’s Gym of the Year in both 2015 and 2017, while the Waterlooville site won the award in 2016 and 2019.