Assignment 2 - Article 1

Preston cheapest place to exercise in Lancashire

Leisure centres in Preston have some of the cheapest deals in the county.

Fulwood and West View leisure centres, funded by the council, offer a number of low-cost membership deals in an attempt to make Preston a healthy population.


Student membership

Their newest offer aims to get students active; with a membership fee of £15 a year much better value than the £80 a year University of Central Lancashire gym membership.

For this fee, valid student ID holders get free access to swimming, climbing walls and fitness rooms between 7.30am and 4.30pm Monday to Friday. For more information click here.

The membership had 200 applicants in the first month.

Shirley Brookes, Customer Services Manager at Fulwood Leisure Centre said: “It’s been a really good response considering it’s not been greatly advertised; I’m really pleased with it.

“I’d be surprised if anywhere else in Lancashire offers student membership better than £15, it’s a unique deal.”


Passport to Leisure membership

Another membership the leisure centres offer is the Passport to Leisure Card.

A benchmark study last year showed that the Passport to Leisure membership was the cheapest in the North West.

The card is available to people on low or no income, people with a disability, people over 60, fostered children and, most recently, for people from registered charities.

The cost of the membership is £3 per year, with the charge of a £1 per activity for the adults on a low or no income category.

Shirley said: “Passport to Leisure was put in place because we want the people of Preston to become healthy, and that’s our main aim; for Preston to have the most active population in the North West by 2010.”

“It’s extremely important for everyone to be able to afford leisure services, Preston has one of the top percentage of people who are unhealthy and who have got health related illnesses. And if we can help reduce that, it can only be a good thing for the economy and for the people of Preston.”