Wigan's leisure trust issues plea for community support

The leisure trust runs seven of the borough’s leisure centres as well as Haigh Woodland Park and golf and wellbeing services such as free, weight management programmes, cardiac rehab classes, falls prevention sessions and activity in schools and care homes to name a few.

A call for support from the Wigan community has been issued by Inspiring healthy lifestyles as they join hundreds of similar organisations across the country in asking the government to create a financial support package for Grassroots sports and fitness and leisure services with the Save Our Sports campaign.

Pete Burt, Managing Director of Inspiring healthy lifestyles, said: “Now more than ever we are hearing the vital role services like ours play in, not only physical and mental health preservation, but in Covid-19 resilience and recovery. Yet as of the moment, there is no financial support available to our sector after we have been forced to close our doors once again.

“We are asking the public for support, please sign the petitions, write to your MP, share our message on social media and let it be known how vital our services are in the community.”

Jenny Meadows, GB Athlete and Trustee at Inspiring healthy lifestyles, said: “This isn’t just about having access to gyms and leisure centres now, this is about protecting services which help people of all ages lead more active lives, so we have them in the future.

“The services provided by Inspiring healthy lifestyles and organisations like them play much bigger roles in communities than many may realise and losing them could have a devastating effect in enabling an more active nation.”

A petition calling for the government to provide a financial support package has amassed thousands of signatures in recent days as leisure centres have close their doors and grassroots sports has stopped play for the second national lockdown.

The Save Our Sports campaign has been backed by groups and governing bodies such as Swim England, UK Active and he Sport and Recreation Alliance.

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