More Than A Member!

You know how it is – every January we are bombarded with images of super fit gym bunnies and beautiful people looking immaculately perfect on a cross trainer. Not one of them has a tummy, not one of them looks like someone you’d see in a gym!

Well, following their fabulously fun campaign that ran all summer, Live Active Leisure has called upon members and users of their facilities to showcase exactly what a membership with LAL means. Because as wonderful as it is to get fit, healthy and enjoy an active life, your membership means more than that.

Lots of people think LAL is owned by Perth and Kinross Council – it’s not! They are leisure trust and run as an independent organisation. The monthly fees that they gather from Live Active Leisure members are reinvested into their services and equipment so that we can all enjoy an affordable crack at the health whip.  This is one of the reasons I’m such a fan of LAL; there is no-one person getting rich from the profits and no ‘shareholders before stakeholders’ mentality driving decision making. Instead, they work hard to deliver on their promises and try to ensure they provide a wide range of sport and fitness opportunities for you, your families and the communities of Perthshire and Kinross.

As well as this they have some amazing initiatives and services that help the young, old and potential high achievers in our community. To showcase just how far your membership fees reach they called on their members to join the people that benefit and what followed was this great fun photoshoot that shows off one of the things we do best here in Perth – community spirit!

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FREE SWIMMING FOR UNDER FIVES

Last year your membership fees helped 1500 children under the age of five swim for free. This one little service helps children develop a love of the water from a young age, keeps costs down for mums and dads who choose sport over other activities, encourages kids to grow up seeing sports and fitness as a fun choice and ensures that enjoying the local pool becomes a right for all children and not just those who can afford it. 

Here John Bruce is #MoreThanAMember and Vinnie and Gregory are quite simply the cutest models of the whole campaign!

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GP REFERRAL SCHEME

Throughout Perth and Kinross your GP or health professional (such as a physiotherapist) can refer you to Live Active Leisure for supported activity sessions.  GP referral clients are given a heavily subsidised membership for 12 weeks, an initial assessment, an exercise programme that has been drawn up to suit their specific needs and a lot of encouragement to stay on the path to health and fitness. Typically, programmes will last for 24 sessions – they will usually suggest 2 sessions a week over a 12 week period – and the aim is to build confidence, create good habits and provide the tools required for people to continue on their own. 

It has been proven time and again that if you are fit and well, you will have fewer health issues and therefore rely less on the NHS.   This amazing scheme is about preventing long term health issues and has an impact on the personal wellbeing of those who use it and the financial burden on our national health service.

Geniusly simply!

Laura McIver is more #MoreThanAMember at Breadalbane Community Centre, Dr Kevin McCaughey is the Aberfeldy based GP and Kay Campbell has recently completed her 12 week GP referral programme and signed up to continue with more!

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TALENTED ATHLETE SCHEME

Together with Sportscotland and the Tayside & Fife Institute of Sport, Live Active Leisure works in developing the additional needs of our high achievers. These are the young athletes who demonstrate the skill and commitment required to represent Scotland and Great Britain on an international stage.

Live Active Leisure’s Talented Athletes’ Scheme supports these young people by providing assistance and free access to their venues. This enables them to reach their full potential and to achieve world class performance levels. This is about nurturing and developing our local talent by helping these young athletes train and grow in the support network of their home towns and city. By doing this, we hope to inspire other youngsters in Perth and Kinross and to bring that real sense of achievement a city embraces when celebrating the success of one of their own. 

I LOVE this service – I love that it means every child has the opportunity regardless of background or financial status. This year Talented Athletes have represented our small city at The Olympics and the Commonwealth games!

Katy Webster (yes, she is Perth Racecourse Katy folks!) is #MoreThanAMember and Eve Muirhead is our local Olympic Medal hero!  

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ACTIVE ENERGY MEMBERS

LAL Active Energy members enjoy the first taste of a fitness membership from the age of twelve. Keeping fit and healthy is important at all ages but by giving teenagers a love of exercise you can help them find the tools that will see them enjoy a lifetime of health.

Active Energy Memberships come with a heavily discounted monthly fee to encourage young people to get involved and join in. This entitles them to use the facilities and gain access to specific gym sessions, classes and pool discos that have been created with teens in mind.

Thanks to Gary Paterson for being #MoreThanAMember and Lola Irving for showing us how to get set for fitness for life!  

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OUR PEOPLE!

Of course, your membership fees support everyone who works at Live Active Leisure. They employ almost 600 people in Perth and Kinross and are the area’s thirteenth largest employer. Together their team consists of gym instructors, life guards, personal trainers, class instructors, operation managers, catering assistants, cooks, receptionists, administrators, office managers, trainers and so many more!

That is little old me in that pic and I was delighted to join in (sort of!). I’ve used LAL for years and as well as helping me to keep fit and healthy in gym sessions, personal training sessions and classes the LAL team has been a big part of my personal life. I have experienced everything from the joy of watching my young toddler son learn how to swim to a very real sense of pride at shedding that extra stone through regular exercise. All of this is down to the team at LAL and I am thrilled that my fees help keep them trained, motivated and there to help all of us.

Here I am being #MoreThanAMember with the very gorgeous Colin Keogh!

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So when you’re making your decision to join a gym this January, think about what else you could bring to your local community with your fees. At Live Active Leisure you will always be #MoreThanAMember – next year that could be you in that photo! Click onto liveactive.co.uk/more-than to join today and be part of something bigger!        

Thanks to Sprinterz in Bankfoot for the great t-shirts and the wonderful Fraser Band for the photography.