Registered charity and social enterprise BH Live has been awarded the prestigious ‘Leisure Business of the Year’ in this year’s Portsmouth News’s Business Excellence Awards.

Last night (27 March 2025), the Portsmouth News Business Excellence Awards celebrated businesses and individuals from the city and surrounding areas who have shown exceptional growth, innovation, and made an outstanding contribution to the community.

BH Live, a registered charity and social enterprise was praised for its commitment to actively improving the health and wellbeing of residents in Portsmouth and beyond.

The judges of this year’s Portsmouth News Business Excellence Awards said;

“BH Live has transformed the leisure provision across the city and have immersed themselves in hard to reach areas of the community to provide help to those most in need.”

On behalf of BH Live, Rob Cunningham, Director of Leisure and Business Development, explains;

As a registered charity and social enterprise, we operate leisure centres, sports facilities and attractions across the city in partnership with Portsmouth City Council. These include Charter Community Sports Centre, Portsmouth Tennis & Gymnastics Centre, the Mountbatten Leisure Centre, Pyramids Centre, Exploria, and Wimbledon Park Sports Centre. We also run Portsmouth Interaction; a service dedicated to supporting individuals with mental health conditions. These facilities are community hubs, enjoyed by residents and visitors as well as local and national community groups, clubs, schools, sporting and professional organisations.

“Across the last twelve months, we’ve welcomed more than one million leisure attendances which is a phenomenal achievement. Furthermore, this has generated more than £20million in social value across the communities we serve in Hampshire and Dorset.

He adds;

“Regular physical activity is proven to actively reduce pressures on local and national health services. Our health and wellbeing initiatives play a key part in this, encouraging more individuals with long-term health conditions or illnesses to participate in physical activity. As well as tailored 1:1 sessions, we deliver group classes for individuals diagnosed with a range of health conditions, including cancer, Parkinson’s Disease, and COPD. These classes are offered in an inclusive format, enabling visitors to socialise with others experiencing the same physical, emotional, and mental impact of their illness or condition.

“Through partnership working, health and wellbeing initiatives, activity programmes, concessionary schemes and enhanced sport and leisure facilities, we are enabling hundreds of thousands of people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds to be more active for better health and wellbeing.”

He explains more about BH Live’s work and how they make an impact in the city,

“What makes our services different is that we provide so much more than gyms, classes and pools. Our services are broad, and they reach deep into the community to make a tangible difference in people’s lives.

“Our exercise referral scheme provides a bespoke and discounted programme of activities in conjunction with local health providers. We ended 2024 with 850 exercise referral members, an astounding growth of 111% compared to 2023. Furthermore, we delivered more than 2,500 exercise referral appointments, assisting hundreds of people through assessments, programmes, tailored sessions, and check-up appointments.

“To enable citywide participation, we continue to break down economic barriers to physical activity by offering concessions and discounts for people on low income. Residents who receive selected benefits are eligible to apply for our Access scheme, offering significantly discounted BH Live Active memberships. Portsmouth Leisure Card holders can also receive up to 40% off our pay-as-you-go sport and recreational activities, while public swimming sessions remain free for children aged 0-11 when accompanied by a paying adult.

“Being a coastal city, water safety and skills remain a priority. Last year we helped more than 2,000 people learn to swim through our swimming academy, delivering 180 hours of swimming lessons each week. In addition, we partner with more than 23 local schools to deliver swimming lessons in accordance with the national curriculum, ensuring more young people across the South Coast have the confidence and support to develop this life-saving and lifelong skill.

“At Portsmouth Gymnastics Centre, a record-breaking 280 preschoolers attended classes every week across spring 2024. More than 1,500 gymnasts regularly use the facilities, attending a broad and varied class programme that accommodates tots, juniors, and adults. Dedicated and structured SEN sessions also help the development of young people with additional needs who are looking to try the sport.

“In addition, Portsmouth Tennis Centre exceeded more than 90% occupancy across 2024 thanks to the provision of high-quality coaching; sports camps; increased community engagement through free open days; and our in-house friendly competitions. Our Aces Tennis Academy encourages young people to engage with tennis and develop their skills on a structured pathway. Funded tennis sessions at more than 10 local schools are introducing more young people to the sport.

“We also delivered specially tailored tennis sessions in partnership with local charities and community groups including DS Active, a charity supporting individuals with Downs Syndrome; Headway, a foundation assisting individuals recovering from severe brain injuries, and many more. Portsmouth Tennis Centre was the LTA Tennis Awards 2023 Hampshire & Isle of Wight winner in the ‘Tennis For All Category’ in recognition of bringing tennis to more under-represented groups and communities throughout the city – a fantastic achievement.

“Attractions form a key part of our junior activity programme too. Last year, to inspire more young people to be active, BH Live invested more than £100,000 into new junior attractions across Dorset and Hampshire. These include AquaDash!, a huge pool-based obstacle course at the Mountbatten Leisure Centre, and Ninjair, a party inflatable at Charter Community Sports Centre. These have all proven extremely popular with thousands of attendances and have successfully drawn more young people and families into their local leisure centre.

“Last year, Exploria – Portsmouth’s largest play and bounce centre – celebrated some significant milestones too. Since its launch in 2021, the attraction has continued to grow its annual attendance figures year-on-year. As well as celebrating its third birthday, Exploria has hosted more than three thousand birthday parties and welcomed more than a quarter of a million attendances. SEN sessions and sensory room activities are delivered every week to make the centre more accessible for young people with additional needs. Thanks to a recent investment from Portsmouth City Council, an additional sensory room has recently opened to extend its appeal.

“Large-scale events are regularly held at our centres too. Sporting events, family celebrations, conferences and exhibitions, trade shows, and festivals attract thousands of attendees. These bring vital footfall to the centre, as well as to local restaurants, bars, hotels, transport, and other businesses across the city. Notable affairs held at our centres last year include ukactive’s South-East Member Networking event, Portsmouth Tattoo Fest, Portsmouth Vegan Fest, Comic Con, careers and apprenticeship fairs, and much more.

“Keeping Portsmouth on the map for sporting excellence, the city’s sports facilities are popular for local, regional, and national competitions. Last year, we hosted more than 20 competitive swimming galas for groups such as Portsmouth Northsea Swimming Club, the Hampshire County Swimming Championships, and Military Preparation College. In addition, Racing Club Omega, Portsmouth North End Cycling Club, Hampshire Athletics, the FA (Football Association) are just some of the other organisations that regularly use the city’s facilities for training and events.”

Rob concludes;

“We are very proud to deliver leisure services, activities, and health and wellbeing programmes to inspire more people across Portsmouth to be active.

“Looking forward, our talented team remains committed to growing leisure attendances even more by inspiring more residents of all ages and abilities to get active. Continued investment into the city’s sport and leisure facilities; growing our activity programmes; and developing partnerships with local and national community groups, schools and orgasnisations will enable us to do this.

“To be awarded Leisure Business of the Year is a fantastic achievement, and I would like to extend my thanks to our hard working and dedicated teams, our partners and customers who all help us to make a positive difference to communities and residents across the city.”

On behalf of Portsmouth City Council, Cllr Lee Hunt, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Leisure & Sport said:

“We have a strong partnership with BH Live to operate a variety of sports and leisure facilities across the city which are so important for the health and happiness of our residents.

“We are delighted BH Live has been recognised for their impact in the city, and they are congratulated for their diverse activity programme, continued investment in our sports and leisure facilities, hard work and ongoing commitment to providing opportunities for local people to enjoy better health and wellbeing in our community.”

For more information about the leisure centres and sports facilities BH Live manages, visit bhliveactive.org.uk.