About us

Parkwood Leisure is a well-established management company that offers specialised professional support and management services for a wide range of leisure, cultural, health, and wellbeing facilities. With 30 years of experience, the organisation has grown significantly, now managing 76 facilities across England and Wales. Parkwood collaborates with several subcontractors, including Lex Leisure CIC, Legacy Leisure, Creating Active Futures, Active Communities Together and 1Life Management Solutions, to effectively manage these facilities.

What makes us different?

At Parkwood Leisure, our mission extends far beyond simply providing services. We’re committed to forging robust and enduring partnerships grounded in efficient and effective delivery, all with the goal of fostering healthier and happier lifestyles within our communities.

As a family-owned and operated business, we uphold strong family values in all aspects of our work. We take immense pride in delivering exceptional services that consistently raise the bar within the industry and provide an unparalleled customer experience. Integrity, trust, and a personalised approach are at the core of everything we do. We strive to be a company that’s large enough to effect meaningful change, yet small enough to maintain a genuine connection with each client, fostering a sense of belonging and dependability.

Our dedicated and passionate team members are the driving force behind our collective success. We recognise that our employees are more than just staff; they’re partners in our shared journey. We foster a supportive and inclusive work environment where every team member feels valued and empowered to contribute their unique skills and talents.

Through our unwavering commitment to excellence, innovation, and community engagement, we aim to be a leading force in the leisure industry, setting new standards and inspiring others to follow suit. We’re excited about the future and the positive impact we’ll continue to make in the lives of individuals, families, and communities for generations to come.

Delivering Services for Local Authorities

Parkwood Leisure takes pride in being a provider of community-focused services for local authorities across England and Wales. Our mission is to foster happier and healthier communities through these services.

In delivering these services, Parkwood Leisure has either a management contract with the local authority or works as an agent of the local authority. Parkwood also works with a number of sub-contractors in delivering these services, including Legacy Leisure, Lex Leisure Creating Active Futures and Active Communities Together.

Management Contracts

A management contract for leisure centre operation is where a local authority outsources the day-to-day management and operation of its leisure facilities and services to an external arm’s length independent operator. This approach enables the local authority to leverage the specialist expertise of Parkwood Leisure, reduce operational risks, achieve cost-efficiency and enhance buying power through our specialist supply chain. By outsourcing operations, the local authority can focus on broader strategic goals, such as improving community health and wellbeing, while ensuring the leisure services are run effectively and in line with agreed standards.

For the customer, this means that their purchases, bookings and interactions are generally with the operator directly, entering into agreements with the operator on their terms and conditions.

Acting as Agent

An “Agent” is a person (or organisation) that acts on behalf of another, known as the “Principal”. In the context of local government, local authorities will appoint an agent to act on their behalf to deliver specific services to the public, such as leisure services, in the name of the authority. The agent will then act as the intermediary between the local authority and the customer in delivering those services. This can be VAT efficient since the local authority is able to treat the supply of certain leisure services as ‘non business’ supplies, meaning no VAT is charged to customers, but the authority is still able to reclaim the input tax on associated purchases.

For customers, this means that when they book an activity or purchase a membership through Parkwood Leisure acting as agent, the customer is entering into an agreement with the relevant local council. Therefore, the membership or user agreement is between the customer and their local council. The agent (Parkwood Leisure) acts as the facilitator between the customer and the Council, managing the day-to-day operations of the facilities and services for the Council so that they can provide their communities with high quality services.

Our Awards & Accreditations

At Parkwood Leisure, we are dedicated to excellence in all that we do. Our steadfast commitment to quality has led to us receiving some of the most esteemed and sought-after industry awards and accreditations.

Health & Safety is our number one priority and we take legal compliance as an expected minimum standard, pushing our operations to perform in excess of industry standards. We achieved certification to the international Standard ISO 45001 (Occupational health and safety management systems) in December 2018, being the first major leisure operator to do so and successfully maintained the accreditation at every review since.

We have been certified to The Active Standard. The Active Standard is a quality mark for the physical activity sector, developed by ukactive and independently assessed, demonstrating our commitment to provide facilities that are safe, inclusive and compliant.

Environmental sustainability is a cornerstone of our operational ethos. Since October 2002, we have been accredited to the International Standard for Environmental Management Systems (EMS), BS: ISO 14001:2015. This early adoption highlighted our leadership in the public leisure sector concerning environmental stewardship and this continues to be a central part of our operational focus.

Parkwood Leisure is a proud supporter and Professional Member of the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower. The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower encourages inclusivity, acceptance and understanding, enabling our sites and services to be more accessible for people living with non-visible disabilities. Accessibility details of our sites are visible on the Sunflower Map.