Leeds Let’s Get Active to continue in 2017

A popular scheme which has inspired thousands of people to take part in sport and physical activity across Leeds will be continuing in the new year, Leeds City Council has announced.

This follows the Leeds Let's Get Active (LLGA) initiative facing an uncertain future due to funding for the pilot programme ceasing at the end of this year.

Since its formation in 2013 the LLGA programme which was funded by Sport England, Public Health and local Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGS) has offered a range of free gym, swim and court sessions at council leisure centres and other classes held in communities across the city. The success of the initiative has resulted in 90,000 people taking up the offer of a Leeds Let’s Get Active Card, and 410,000 visits in total. Of these visits, 45% of participants described themselves as inactive before signing up.

In order for LLGA to continue, the council has stepped in with an offer from January 1 2017 to provide at a subsidised rate, LLGA sessions at its leisure centres. An annual pass will be priced at £120 or as part of a continuous no contract offer, £10 per month via Direct Debit. In addition each session can also be accessed, subject to availability, on a pay and play basis for just £2. Selected free LLGA sessions will also still be made available as part of its community programmes.

The current LLGA programmed sessions will continue to be run for free until the end of December 2016.

To find out more, and to sign up to the new offer, please see: www.leedsletsgetactive.co.uk or email: leeds.let.get.active@leeds.gov.uk

Councillor James Lewis, Leeds City Council’s executive member with responsibility for sport, said:

“I am pleased that despite the severe budgetary challenges that the council and partners continues to face, we have been able to find a way to continue the successful Leeds Let’s Get Active (LLGA) scheme in the new year.

“The LLGA scheme has been incredibly popular and encouraged many people to take part in sport and physical activity who hadn’t previously participated. With that in mind we were keen to extend the initiative once it’s funding elapsed, and whilst due to our budgetary situation it will not be possible to offer sessions at our leisure centres for free as before, we have put together a package of subsidised fees that are extremely attractive. These will sit aside targeted community programmes that will still offer LLGA classes for free. This will mean that existing users and hopefully many more people will be able to take advantage of what LLGA has to offer in the future.”

Notes to editors:

Details of the new LLGA leisure centre sessions in the new year are set to be announced in the near future.

For media enquiries, please contact;

Colin Dickinson, Leeds City Council press office (0113) 39 51578

Email: colin.dickinson@leeds.gov.uk