SEVEN council-led leisure centres had more than a million combined visits and delivered a social value of £13.46m in 2022, statistics reveal.

The Social Value Calculator - developed by 4Global, Sheffield Hallam University and Experian - attempts to quantify the impact of sports and physical activities on communities in monetary terms, factoring in estimated savings to health services as well as the positive impact on people’s happiness.

The aim is to give an industry-wide picture of how sport, leisure and physical activity providers contribute to targets identified in the government’s Sporting Future strategy.

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Looking into how the council-run Be Well leisure centres benefit the borough, the model suggested that they improved the subjective wellbeing of residents to the tune of £7.29m last year, while providing a value of £3.3m in terms of social and community development.

Further social value was created in improving physical and mental health of residents, delivering benefits against illness and disease, and contributing to a reduction in GP appointments.

Goal for residents to live healthier, happier lives

Councillor David Molyneux MBE, Leader of Wigan Council, said: “The goal of our Be Well movement is to help residents live healthier, happier lives and we’re proud of the massive positive impact that’s being made by our teams across our borough.

“By encouraging more and more people to get active and make better lifestyle choices, we’re improving people’s physical and mental health and also helping to reduce the burden on our under-pressure NHS.”

As well as offering paid memberships for seven leisure centres and pay-as-you-go sessions for non-members, Be Well delivers many free services including weight management, the Let’s Get Movin’ initiative for younger residents, and a range of rehabilitation programmes including support for individuals suffering from long Covid.

Social value reflection of 'unwavering commitment' to invest in leisrure and wellbeing

Councillor Chris Ready, portfolio holder for communities and neighbourhoods, added: “This is a reflection of our unwavering commitment to invest in leisure and wellbeing services for the benefit of local people, and of the incredible dedication and expertise of our brilliant Be Well teams.

“Be Well is going from strength to strength at a time when our communities need us more than ever and rest assured we will continue to do all we can to support our residents to feel well, live well and be well.”