Burnley Leisure and Culture (BLC) has been named a winner at a prestigious fitness industry awards ceremony.
It’s the second time in four years that BLC, which runs St Peter’s and Padiham Leisure Centres, has won the title of Local Authority/Leisure Trust Gym of the Year at the National Fitness Awards, which recognise excellence and achievement in gyms throughout the country.
The awards are billed as the UK’s biggest free-to-enter fitness accolades, and it meant BLC was up against entries from as far north as Aberdeen and as far south as Devon.
Since BLC’s first win in 2020-2021, the facilities at St Peter’s and Padiham have benefited from a significant refurbishment that included new equipment and cycle studios at both sites, as well as an extension of the gym and the upgrading of changing areas and lockers at St Peter’s, along with significantly enhancing work with health partners and community projects.
Along with every finalist, BLC was visited by members of the awards team, who toured the facilities and chatted to members and staff before compiling a comprehensive report with BLC’s supporting evidence, which was then passed on to an expert judging panel to decide the winners.
Scott Bryce, BLC’s Chief Operating Officer, says: “We are absolutely thrilled to be named a National Fitness Award winner once again, going one better than last year and emulating our success of four years ago.
“The award means so much because it gives recognition to the great impact we make with creating healthier, happier and connected communities. Highlighting keeping pushing forward despite challenges, continually raising standards and refusing to settle for just being good enough and creating unforgettable experiences.
“But more than anything, it’s testament to our greatest asset, our people. Passionate, innovative, resilient, and committed to creating spaces where everyone feels welcome and supported. Every team member shows up every day with energy, care, and purpose, and this recognition belongs to every single one of them.
“At BLC we believe in creating more than a gym, we build a community focused on health, wellness, fun, growth, and connectivity. To be acknowledged at this national level is an honour and a proud moment for us all.”
The winners were announced by television, radio and podcast presenter Natalie Sawyer at a glittering awards ceremony at The Athena in Leicester attended by 800 people.
National Fitness Awards’ event director Dominic Musgrave says: “This year’s winners should be very proud – the high standard of entries made it a tough job to select a final shortlist never mind a winner and runner-up in each category.
“Our awards’ night was a great celebration of the fitness industry as a whole and it was great to see so many gyms represented at the event. It was a wonderful evening, and it was lovely to share in the celebrations of the winners.”
As a not-for-profit organisation, BLC reinvests all of its surplus revenue to fund such work and has just opened a Jurassic Golf attraction at Prairie Sports Village.
Working in partnership with the council, BLC is responsible for the operation, management and development of St Peter’s and Padiham leisure centres, Prairie Sports Village, Barden athletics track, Thompson Park boating lake, Burnley Mechanics Theatre, numerous hospitality venues and Towneley golf courses and clubhouse, along with borough-wide arts development, community health and wellbeing, sport and play development programmes.
