Speaking at the awards ceremony for the third annual Members’ Choice Health Club Awards during Leisure Industry Week in Birmingham this week, Liz Terry, Editorial Director of Health Club Management magazine said there are too many ‘dreadful’ managers running the UK’s health clubs.

Terry said industry leaders must make radical changes to the way managers are trained and the career development available to them if the industry is to prosper and achieve its true potential.

“Health and fitness, wellness and sport will become key industries of the future globally,” she said. “The opportunities to engage people with exercise and wellbeing are huge and exciting and one of the only things that will hold us back is bad management.

“It isn’t always the managers’ fault – in some cases the companies which employ them have over-promoted them to save money or failed to train them and this has to stop,” she said. “As an industry, we need to set clear pathways for managers who trust us with their careers. We must invest in them, develop them and pay them fairly. It isn’t good enough just to promote the most willing gym instructor – management is a discipline to be valued and nurtured.”

The Members’ Choice Health Club Awards are presented in partnership with Health Club Management and are the only industry awards entirely voted for by the members of health clubs. The awards’ aim is to celebrate excellence.

“You’re among the cream of the managers in this industry,” Terry told the 320 assembled guests at the black tie event, which was hosted by the National Motorcycle Museum. “Your customers have told you that themselves – being shortlisted for this award is proof you’re doing loads of things right. Congratulations”

The full list of winners:

INDIVIDUAL CATEGORY (PEOPLE AWARDS)
Highly commended
Katrina Pratt, fitness consultant, Aberdeen Sports Village
Nedj Suleyman, personal trainer, Archway Leisure Centre
Steve Macis, personal trainer, Xercise4Less Wakefield
Julie Sargeant, fitness consultant & personal trainer, One Leisure St Neots
Liz Velji, GP referral specialist, The Armoury Jubilee Trust Hampstead

REGIONAL CATEGORIES

SCOTLAND

BUDGET
Fit4less Dundee – GOLD
Fit4less Perth – SILVER
Fit4less Dundee Douglas – BRONZE

MID-MARKET
énergie Fitness For Women Airdrie – GOLD
énergie Fitness For Women Linlithgow – SILVER
énergie Fitness For Women East Kilbride – BRONZE

PREMIUM
LivingWell Edinburgh Airport – GOLD
Bowfield Hotel & Country Club – SILVER
Westerwood Hotel QHotels – BRONZE

NORTHERN IRELAND

BUDGET
Fit4less Lisburn – GOLD

PREMIUM
LivingWell Templepatrick – GOLD

NORTH WEST

BUDGET
Xercise4Less Wigan – GOLD
Fit4less Stockport – SILVER
Xercise4Less Bolton – BRONZE

MID-MARKET
Pendle Wavelengths & Inside Spa – GOLD
Metro Fitness Stockport – SILVER
énergie Fitness Wilmslow – BRONZE

PREMIUM
The Midland QHotels – GOLD
Thornton Hall Country Health Club – SILVER
Spa Naturel Fitness Norton Grange – BRONZE

NORTH EAST
BUDGET
Fit4less Tynemouth – GOLD
Fit4less Hartlepool – SILVER
Xercise4Less Stockton-on-Tees – BRONZE

MID-MARKET
énergie Fitness For Women Morpeth – GOLD

PREMIUM
LivingWell Newcastle Gateshead – GOLD

YORKSHIRE & THE HUMBER

BUDGET
Xercise4Less Doncaster – GOLD
Xercise4Less Leeds – SILVER
Xercise4Less Wakefield – BRONZE

MID-MARKET
Bircotes Leisure Centre – GOLD
Fitness Flex Doncaster – SILVER
Fitness Unlimited - Don Valley Stadium – BRONZE

PREMIUM
Crown Spa – GOLD
LivingWell Sheffield – SILVER

WALES

BUDGET
Fitness4Less Newport – GOLD

PREMIUM
Spa Naturel Fitness Cardiff – GOLD
LivingWell Newport – SILVER

WEST MIDLANDS

BUDGET
Fit4less Redditch – GOLD
Fitness4Less Birmingham – SILVER

MID-MARKET
Wednesbury Leisure Centre – GOLD
Ryland Centre – SILVER
Tipton Sports Academy – BRONZE

PREMIUM
Chesford Grange QHotels – GOLD
St George's Park Health Club – SILVER
Spa Naturel Fitness Brandon Hall – BRONZE

EAST MIDLANDS

BUDGET
Fitness4Less Northampton – GOLD

MID-MARKET
énergie Fitness For Women Long Eaton – GOLD
énergie Fitness For Women Arnold – SILVER
Everyone Active West Lindsey Leisure Centre – BRONZE

PREMIUM
The Nottingham Belfry QHotels – GOLD
LivingWell Leicester – SILVER
Nuffield Health Nottingham – BRONZE

EAST OF ENGLAND

MID-MARKET
Everyone Active Mid Suffolk Leisure Centre – GOLD
Everybody Health & Fitness – SILVER
Everyone Active Stradbroke Swim & Fitness Centre – BRONZE

PREMIUM
LivingWell Cambridge – GOLD

SOUTH WEST

BUDGET
Fitness4Less Bristol – GOLD

MID-MARKET
Everyone Active Kingsdown Sport Centre – GOLD
Everyone Active Blandford Leisure Centre – SILVER
Everyone Active Henbury Leisure Centre – BRONZE

SOUTHERN

BUDGET
Fitness4Less Chesham – GOLD
Fitness4Less Cheltenham – SILVER

MID-MARKET
énergie Fitness For Women Bicester – GOLD
énergie Fitness Andover – SILVER
Everyone Active Stratford Park Leisure Centre – BRONZE

PREMIUM
Pulse 8 – GOLD
Nirvana Wellness Suite – SILVER
LivingWell Milton Keynes – BRONZE

LONDON

BUDGET
Fit4less Kilburn – GOLD
Fitness4Less Southwark – SILVER
Fit4less Caspian Wharf – BRONZE

MID-MARKET
énergie Fitness Northwick Park – GOLD
énergie Fitness For Women North Finchley – SILVER
Archway Leisure Centre - Aquaterra – BRONZE

PREMIUM
LivingWell London Docklands – GOLD
LivingWell London Wembley – SILVER
Dolphin Fitness – BRONZE

SOUTH EAST – Essex, Hertfordshire, Middlesex

BUDGET
Fitness4Less Watford – GOLD
Fitness4Less Southend – SILVER
Everyone Active Eversley Leisure Centre – BRONZE

MID-MARKET
Everyone Active Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre – GOLD
énergie Fitness For Women St Albans – SILVER
Everyone Active Hartham Leisure Centre – BRONZE

PREMIUM
LivingWell Watford – GOLD
LivingWell Stansted – SILVER

SOUTH EAST - Kent, Surrey, Sussex

BUDGET
Fit4less Maidstone – GOLD
Fitness4Less Sutton – SILVER
Everyone Active Phoenix Leisure Centre – BRONZE

MID-MARKET
Everyone Active David Weir Leisure Centre – GOLD
Everyone Active Spelthorne Leisure Centre – SILVER
Everyone Active Cheam Leisure Centre – BRONZE

PREMIUM
LivingWell Maidstone – GOLD
LivingWell Dartford – SILVER
Ashford International QHotels – BRONZE

NATIONAL CATEGORIES

BEST BUDGET CHAIN (5+ clubs)
Fitness4Less – GOLD
Fit4less – SILVER
Xercise4Less – BRONZE

BEST SMALL CHAIN (3–9 clubs)
Sandwell Leisure Trust – GOLD
Xercise4Less – SILVER
YMCA London South West – BRONZE

BEST MEDIUM CHAIN (10–30 clubs)
Fitness4Less – GOLD
Fit4less – SILVER
QHotels – BRONZE

BEST LARGE CHAIN (30+ clubs)
Everyone Active – GOLD
LivingWell – SILVER
énergie Fitness for Women – BRONZE

GRAND PRIX CATEGORIES

Best Budget Club in the UK
Fitness4Less Chesham – GOLD

Fitness4Less Bristol – SILVER

Fitness4Less Cheltenham – BRONZE

Best Mid-Market Club in the UK
énergie Fitness For Women Long Eaton – GOLD

énergie Fitness For Women Arnold – SILVER

énergie Fitness For Women Airdrie – BRONZE

Best Premium Club in the UK
Crown Spa – GOLD

Chesford Grange QHotels – SILVER

Pulse 8 – BRONZE