The Council’s new look leisure service, Active Mid Devon, has now been in operation for six months and it continues to grow and improve.

Since its launch in March, Active Mid Devon has seen its membership grow to its highest ever numbers, as well as introduced incentives for families, students and carers to get active.

The centres have also seen big improvements with new poolside changing facilities and lockers at both Active Tiverton and Active Crediton.

Councillor Josh Wright, Cabinet Member for Service Delivery and Continuous Improvement, said:

“I’m delighted to see Active Mid Devon has become a reality. Active Mid Devon represents so much more than new facilities – it is a real investment in the health, wellbeing, and future of our residents. We’ve worked hard to ensure the needs and values of our communities are met and whether you’re a parent looking for family-friendly activities, an older adult wanting to stay active, or someone trying a new fitness journey for the first time we welcome everyone.”

Alongside the new look centres members have also benefitted from the launch of a new app, allowing access to bookings and information 24/7 as well as a new online booking system.

In just six months more than 4,500 people have signed up to the Active Mid Devon app with users praising the simplicity of booking through the app, and there are improved features set to be rolled out soon.

From the outset Active Mid Devon aimed to provide more than just leisure facilities, and it continues to support the community through its GP referral scheme, cardiac rehab programme, and Health Seekers initiatives.

This community work is recognised by the news Active Mid Devon has been ranked in the top 25% of leisure providers for what is known as social value within the industry. Social value is a way to measure the value of the activity or intervention, based around the average cost a health referral or treatment might otherwise be. In effect this means the work of Active Mid Devon has supported health and social care in the community, which would ordinarily have cost providers such as the NHS, £4.9million in the past year.

Andy Mackie, Operations Manager for Leisure, said:

"The social value generated is a hidden benefit of our leisure service, we all know that being active is great for our physical and mental health but don’t always consider the monetary value of this in terms of savings to other organisations such as the NHS for example.

“Active Mid Devon encompasses fitness, mental wellness and social connections and is about offering our customers more of what they want, and an easier way to take part, whether you are a casual user, a family enjoying time together, or a fitness lover who takes part in multiple classes a week, topped off with a bite to eat in one of our on-site cafes.”