What is the Active Communities programme? Physical activity has sometimes been described as a magic pill. Not only does it help us feel better and function better, but it can also prevent and treat the leading health challenges of our time. However, even when they know that exercise will help, evidence suggests that people need expert guidance when faced with the idea of exercising after the diagnosis of a particular condition.
Our Active Communities team therefore uses the power of physical activity and sport to help those in need, or who are facing barriers to participation, to improve their health and wellbeing. We support people of all ages and backgrounds to be active, from newborns to older adults. Our projects include: supporting activity among children and young people in care, mental health, weight management, long-term conditions, walking, cycling and falls prevention, to mention just a few.
How are people referred to the programme? It depends on the project. People can self-refer to some projects or be referred by a range of health professionals. We currently receive 400 referrals from health professionals each month to our Active Communities programme.
How do you help people change their habits and attitudes? Active Communities empowers people to lead healthier lifestyles by removing the potential barriers that prevent them from being active. Many of our projects use one-to-one person-centred consultations and behaviour change approaches to help people change their habits and attitudes towards physical activity.
Fun is also at the heart of what we do, and we aim to create opportunities for people to connect socially and reduce feelings of isolation.
Where does funding come from? Many of the programmes are funded by NHS Lothian, Edinburgh’s Health and Social Care partnership and the City of Edinburgh Council as well as Edinburgh Leisure.
What plans do you have for the future of the programme? We’re currently trying to secure investment for a dementia-friendly project, aiming to support the independence and wellbeing of people living with dementia, as well as their carers and families, by getting them physically active.
Active Communities
• 118 Active Communities classes are delivered every week
• 1,405 people are helped to improve their health and wellbeing each week
• 400 older adults walk, dance and cycle each week
• 85 per cent of people taking part in the mental health referral programme report improvements in health
• For every £1 invested in the falls prevention programme, there’s a social return of £13
Active Communities allows people to connect socially – and get fit too
Panatta brought together four of the most influential figures in bodybuilding history on the
stage of RiminiWellness 2026: Phil Heath, Lee Haney, Ronnie Coleman and Hany Rambod. [more...]
Active Blackpool is deploying Cornerstone Connect, a new digital interface allowing
disparate information from multiple systems to be aggregated into one dataset, to support
its focus on reducing health inequalities and improving healthy life expectancy. [more...]
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ukactive
ukactive is the UK’s leading trade body for the physical activity sector, bringing together more tha [more...]
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What is the Active Communities programme? Physical activity has sometimes been described as a magic pill. Not only does it help us feel better and function better, but it can also prevent and treat the leading health challenges of our time. However, even when they know that exercise will help, evidence suggests that people need expert guidance when faced with the idea of exercising after the diagnosis of a particular condition.
Our Active Communities team therefore uses the power of physical activity and sport to help those in need, or who are facing barriers to participation, to improve their health and wellbeing. We support people of all ages and backgrounds to be active, from newborns to older adults. Our projects include: supporting activity among children and young people in care, mental health, weight management, long-term conditions, walking, cycling and falls prevention, to mention just a few.
How are people referred to the programme? It depends on the project. People can self-refer to some projects or be referred by a range of health professionals. We currently receive 400 referrals from health professionals each month to our Active Communities programme.
How do you help people change their habits and attitudes? Active Communities empowers people to lead healthier lifestyles by removing the potential barriers that prevent them from being active. Many of our projects use one-to-one person-centred consultations and behaviour change approaches to help people change their habits and attitudes towards physical activity.
Fun is also at the heart of what we do, and we aim to create opportunities for people to connect socially and reduce feelings of isolation.
Where does funding come from? Many of the programmes are funded by NHS Lothian, Edinburgh’s Health and Social Care partnership and the City of Edinburgh Council as well as Edinburgh Leisure.
What plans do you have for the future of the programme? We’re currently trying to secure investment for a dementia-friendly project, aiming to support the independence and wellbeing of people living with dementia, as well as their carers and families, by getting them physically active.
Active Communities
• 118 Active Communities classes are delivered every week
• 1,405 people are helped to improve their health and wellbeing each week
• 400 older adults walk, dance and cycle each week
• 85 per cent of people taking part in the mental health referral programme report improvements in health
• For every £1 invested in the falls prevention programme, there’s a social return of £13
Active Communities allows people to connect socially – and get fit too
According to research which tracked more than 147,000 people for 30 years, 90-120 minutes
of strength training a week may deliver some of the biggest long-term health rewards.
The UK's four Chief Medical Officers have published a refreshed edition of Physical activity
guidelines: UK Chief Medical Officers' report, updating the evidence that underpins the nation's
physical activity recommendations and placing greater emphasis on strength, balance, reducing
sedentary behaviour and, for the first time, supporting people taking weight loss medications.
Places Leisure has exchanged contracts to build and operate a flagship £60m water and leisure
destination on behalf of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.
The Republic of Ireland will become the latest market in PureGym’s expanding international
portfolio, with the first launch planned for Dublin in 2027.
Anytime Fitness opened more than one club a day in 2025 and is on track to maintain this rate
of growth this year, as parent company Purpose Brands targets further international expansion.
The £33.9 million Leighton Leisure and Community Centre has opened in Leighton Buzzard, UK,
creating a next-generation public leisure, health and wellbeing hub for the local community.
Walnuts Leisure Centre in Orpington, in the London Borough of Bromley, has reopened following
a £17m transformation designed to secure the long-term future of the public leisure asset and
reposition it as a community wellbeing hub.
The Gym Group, has announced that it's sustained positive trading momentum has continued
through the first half of 2026 and the company remains confident about the outlook.
Panatta brought together four of the most influential figures in bodybuilding history on the
stage of RiminiWellness 2026: Phil Heath, Lee Haney, Ronnie Coleman and Hany Rambod. [more...]
Active Blackpool is deploying Cornerstone Connect, a new digital interface allowing
disparate information from multiple systems to be aggregated into one dataset, to support
its focus on reducing health inequalities and improving healthy life expectancy. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
ukactive ukactive is the UK’s leading trade body for the physical activity sector, bringing together more tha [more...]
