The winners of the ukactive Awards 2024 have been announced during a night of celebrations in Birmingham that showcased the sector’s progress and growth.
The best of the best were recognised at the industry’s most prestigious awards, with more than 800 people joining the ceremony at the ICC in Birmingham.
The Awards, sponsored by STA, were hosted by Professor Greg Whyte OBE and comedian, Esther Manito, who ran through the fantastic range of operators, suppliers and individuals shortlisted across 16 categories. The full list of winners is available below.
Everyone Active claimed the coveted National Club/Centre of the Year Award for its Silksworth Community Pool Tennis and Wellness Centre, as well as three Regional Club of the Year awards, and Outstanding Organisation of the Year Award.
Brimhams Active was also a big winner on the night, being recognised for its wide-ranging inclusion work by picking up the award for the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion category, as well as the Healthy Communities Award for making health an integral part of the way it operates.
This year, the Outstanding Leadership Award was separated into two individual awards; one for an Outstanding Individual Leader and the other for an Outstanding Leadership Team.
Lorraine Patrinos, People Director at GLL, received a big round of applause as she was named the winner of the Outstanding Individual Leader Award for her work in designing, driving and implementing organisation change projects for major business impact. The judges had praised her work to support employees across the entire organisation.
InspireAll’s Swimming Management Leadership Team was declared the winner of the Outstanding Team Leadership Award, as chosen by a public vote, with the team praised for its record-breaking performance in 2023-24, during which it exceeded financial targets as well as growing the awareness and engagement of its retention scheme by 22% year-on-year.
Social enterprise Good Boost scooped the Supplier of the Year Award for delivering a product that has been proven to support an increase in the number of activity sessions those new to a health club environment have taken part in.
In the individual categories, Danii Vipond Houghton, Better Health manager at GLL, took home the Physical Activity Hero Award for her ongoing commitment to inspiring participation among people who do not think being active is for them. Danii’s nomination credited her for bringing more than 5,000 new people through the door, achieving more than 400 Healthwise referrals, and raising over £150,000 in funding towards the sustainability of the leisure services.
There was loud applause for Tara Dillon, CEO of CIMSPA, who received the Jan Spaticchia Special Recognition Award for the huge impact she has within the industry and her unrelenting ambition to ensure that the physical activity sector has a valued and inclusive workforce to help people be more active.
The New Build or Design of the Year Award went to GT3 Architects for its work constructing Morpeth Sports & Leisure Centre in partnership with Northumberland County Council and Active Northumberland. The judges praised the development for its consideration of the environment and praised GT3 for making the site accessible to all those in the area.
This year’s ukactive Awards saw nominations from across the breadth of the sector, with the judges praising the high quality and excellent achievements demonstrated by all the finalists.
Each entrant underwent a rigorous independent assessment which was delivered by the ukactive Awards process partner, ProInsight, and designed to select the best in each category from hundreds of entrants. The judges provided valuable feedback to all entrants, both to help improve and to promote success.
Huw Edwards, CEO of ukactive, said: “Congratulations to the winners of the ukactive Awards 2024 for your incredible achievements this year and for representing our sector so well.
“We have one of the most competitive sectors in the world, but beyond this year’s bragging rights, these awards show the fantastic progress our sector is making to grow our impact, supporting a healthier, happier nation.
“This year’s finalists are excellent examples of how our sector works tirelessly, day in and day out, to ensure all communities can access and enjoy the benefits of physical activity.
“Thank you to all of the entrants, the finalists, the winners and our sponsors for helping us to celebrate our wonderful sector.”
Dave Candler, CEO of STA, said: “It was fantastic to celebrate all of the industry’s achievements at the ukactive awards this year and to be able to play our part as headline sponsor for a second year.
“We saw outstanding examples of leadership, creativity, innovation, diversity, and excellence from all the finalists and winners, proving how amazingly talented and resilient the physical activity sector is.
“Congratulations to all the winning individuals, teams, and organisations who have all made such a significantly positive impact on people’s health and well-being over the last 12 months.”
The ukactive Awards 2024 Winners:
Regional Club/Centre of the Year
Northern Ireland & Wales
Antrim and Newtownabbey – Ballyearl Arts and Leisure Centre
Scotland
Edinburgh Leisure – Gracemount Leisure Centre
North
Everyone Active – Silksworth Community Pool Tennis and Wellness Centre
Midlands
Everyone Active – Hucknall Leisure Centre
London
Everyone Active – Flitwick Leisure Centre
South
Hilton – LivingWell Health Club Reading
National Club/Centre of the Year
Everyone Active – Silksworth Community Pool Tennis and Wellness Centre
Supplier of the Year
Good Boost
New Build or Design of the Year
GT3 Architects
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
Brimhams Active
Healthy Communities Award
Brimhams Active
Organisation Innovation Award
Jubilee Hall Trust and Central YMCA
Marketing Campaign Award
Inverclyde Leisure
Digital Transformation Award
Parkwood Leisure
Education Provider of the Year
Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK)
Physical Activity Hero Award
Danii Vipond Houghton – GLL
Outstanding Individual Leadership Award
Lorraine Patrinos – GLL
Outstanding Team Leadership Award
InspireAll – Swimming Management Leadership Team: Sarah Marsh, Will Brewer, Beth Hobday, Jacqui Price, Victoria St John-Mosse, Barry Ellis, Tony Straton.
The Jan Spaticchia Special Recognition Award
Tara Dillon – CEO, CIMSPA
BUCS Physical Activity Excellence Award
Nottingham Trent University
Outstanding Organisation Award
Everyone Active
More People More Active More Often
