Castle Centre: Everyone Active replaces Fusion after seven weeks

The long-awaited Castle Centre finally welcomes its first swimmers on 30 April and received its official opening a few weeks later.

This week Everyone Active – the trading name for Sports Leisure Management (SLM) – took over the management of the eight leisure centres in Southwark from Fusion.

SLM has a seven-year deal and will pay a fee to the council from the second year of the contract.

Cllr Maisie Anderson, cabinet member for public health, parks and leisure, said, "Providing the best facilities and service in Southwark's leisure centres has always been important to us.

"Our new provider Everyone Active are bringing in a new era for our centres across the borough.

"We will work together to make our centres the best they can be for all our residents, as we continue to make it easier for our communities to be healthier."

David Bibby, SLM's managing director, said: "We are delighted to be working with Southwark Council on providing top class facilities and programming for the local community.

"We are committed to providing the best facilities and service possible, and our proposed plans aim to make the centres inclusive and accessible for people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds and encourage participation in a range of sports and healthy activities.

"We also hope that we can bring new job opportunities to the area with the continued development of the leisure centres."

At the end of next month the council's flagship 'free swim and gym' policy is due to come into full effect when Southwark residents of all ages will be able to enjoy free use of the borough's pools and gyms all day on Fridays and after 2pm at weekends.