Bulwell leisure centre is first in the country to be recognised for tackling inequalities

Watch more of our videos on Shots!
and live on Freeview channel 276

The Ken Martin Leisure Centre in Bulwell has become the first in the country to achieve the Quest Tackling Inequalities in Leisure Standard, demonstrating its commitment to tackling inequalities.

The Tacking Inequalities in Leisure accolade was bestowed on the centre – run by Active Nottingham – as part of its Sport England Quest assessment, which measures how well a facility is operating and how effective organisations are across a range of areas.

The centre was recognised for working hard to ensure all demographics of the community are welcome and find the centre accessible, which includes partnering with trusted local organisations, such as housing associations, primary care networks, social prescribing teams and mental health services.

The centre has also been working with the community to help remove any barriers to access through campaigns such as Get Out Get Active, This Girl Can and the Disability Sport Insight and Participation project, which invited people living with a disability to try the facility for free in exchange for honest feedback.

Swim for Health for over-50s is one of the activities the leisure centre was praised for

Some of the activities that ticked the boxes for the Tackling Inequalities assessment team included swim for health for over-50s in the morning and line dancing classes, which all attract a diverse attendance, as well as low-intensity mental health mindfulness classes.

Ex-Hucknall girl Kayte is having a special haircut for the Little Princesses

Along with Active Nottingham’s other leisure centres, Ken Martin also boasts CredAbility accreditation, an independent quality mark run by disabled people, and the CredAbility Access Card, a national scheme that commits organisations to providing a quality service to people with a disability.

Kirsty Worthington, general manager at the centre said: “As well as proactively researching the demographics of our area, we take a more holistic and individualistic appreciation of their requirements by working with partners, such as My Sight Notts, Disability Direct, the Women’s Centre and local projects, including community-based sports groups.

“The area around the centre has some of the highest levels of deprivation across the UK, experiencing a number of health challenges.

“Added to this, the area has a mixed population of ethnicities, including new and emerging communities, a large proportion of families and single-parent families, as well as a significant population of older people.

“We need to offer programmes and activities that truly cater for everyone.”