City experiences ‘get fit’ growth spurt as gyms get busy

Stoke-on-Trent has had an increased uptake in leisure centre visits that has exceeded expectations.

The number of people attending our four sites (Fenton Manor, Dimensions, The Wallace Centre and New Horizons) totalled 351,416 at the start of the 2024/25 financial year, which was above the profiled target of 345,000. 

Our leisure and wellbeing service is for everyone, and part of this increase is due to the growth in our community sport and rehabilitation programme.  

This includes a record level of gym memberships, increased gymnastics and a positive swimming performance at Dimensions.  

With this performance, we are on track to achieve the annual target of nearly 1.4 million visits across our four sites by the end of the financial year. 

This comes as part of our ‘Step in the right direction’ drive, which has encouraged residents to be more active no matter their age, as physical activity is great for both the body and mind. 

Councillor Jane Ashworth, Leader of the Council, “I’m thrilled to see we have smashed our target and had over 351,000 visitors to our four leisure centres between April and June. 

“The leisure centres work hard to provide a wide variety of activities for all ages to enjoy and I’m glad to see this hard work coming to fruition in the numbers we are seeing. 

“Keeping active is an important part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and at the council, creating a healthier standard of living for all our citizens is a key theme of our corporate strategy. I encourage everyone to explore what our leisure centres are offering, because you may discover a new way to support your physical and mental wellbeing.”

To learn more about the leisure centres, memberships and activities, please visit the Active Stoke website for more information https://activestoke.co.uk/