South Downs Leisure

🧡 Leisure should be accessible to everyone.

Today for , we are talking about inclusion. As a charitable trust, South Downs Leisure is committed to helping people from every part of the community access our centres, services and facilities.

For us, inclusion means more than opening the doors. It means working with local partners, removing barriers and creating spaces where people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds can feel welcome, supported and confident to take part.

Since 2022, we have provided 2,391 complimentary FIT4 memberships, worth over £360,000 in support, helping people who may otherwise find it difficult to access health, fitness and wellbeing opportunities.

One of the clearest examples of inclusion in action is Mencap Day at Worthing Leisure Centre, which welcomed 482 participants, 233 carers and 25 schools. We have also supported inclusive activity through the Mencap Triathlon, linking swim, gym and running route activity in a safe and supportive way.

Alongside this, our free intensive swimming lesson places have helped children most in need access vital water safety skills, because in a coastal community, swimming should be a life skill everyone has the chance to learn.

Seriously Social celebrates the impact charitable trusts and social enterprises have beyond leisure. It is about showing how public leisure can help create fairer, healthier and more connected communities.

💗 A first job, a new skill, a confidence boost or a career change can start in your local leisure centre.

As a charitable trust, South Downs Leisure is committed to supporting employment, training and career progression across the communities we serve.

Today for , we are talking about employment and skills. For us, that means creating opportunities for people to gain experience, build confidence and explore careers in leisure, health, wellbeing, events and community services.

This year, we were pleased to welcome back Worthing College sport students for an employability morning, giving them a behind-the-scenes look at the leisure industry, insight into different career pathways and the chance to develop real-world skills.

Across our organisation, we have also supported company inductions, Carbon Literacy training, wellbeing training, customer service courses, management development and role-specific qualifications, alongside work experience and placement opportunities with local partners.

Seriously Social celebrates the impact charitable trusts and social enterprises have beyond leisure. It is about showing how public leisure supports local employment, skills, progression and stronger communities.

Want to start your career in leisure? Find our latest vacancies on our website.
https://southdownsleisure.co.uk/careers/

Always a pleasure to host Worthing Mencap’s annual Sport & Funday at Worthing Leisure Centre.

What another fantastic year, with so many brilliant activities and an amazing turnout from the local community.

A huge well done to the Worthing Mencap team, Davison High School, all the volunteers, supporters and everyone who helped make the day possible.

It is always one of our favourite community events of the year, and we are already looking forward to the next one.

💜 Today for , we are talking about community. For us, that means working with local partners, volunteers, clubs, charities and community groups to help create places where people can be active, supported and connected.

As a charitable trust, South Downs Leisure is governed by trustees from the community, employs local people and reinvests back into local services, partnerships and programmes across Worthing, Adur, Brighton and Hampton.

Over the last year, this has included investing £5,000 to help launch Downs Link Shoreham parkrun, supporting 3,120 junior parkrun participants, and working alongside local partners including Mencap, GoodGym, Ferring Country Centre, local Rotary Clubs, Worthing Soup Kitchen, Broadwater Support Hub and more.

One example of this community impact is the Three Forts Challenge, which welcomed over 750 entries in 2026, with all profits supporting Ferring Country Centre and its work with adults with learning disabilities. South Downs Leisure supports the event through volunteer time, marketing, digital, operational and on-the-day support, helping bring runners, volunteers, local clubs and community partners together across the South Downs.

Seriously Social celebrates the impact charitable trusts and social enterprises have beyond leisure. It is about showing how public leisure can strengthen communities, support local causes and create lasting social value.

That is what being a charitable trust means to us.

💙 Every visit to one of our centres helps support something bigger.

Whether you are coming in for a swim, a class, a gym session, a club or a catch-up with friends, you are part of a charitable trust that reinvests back into local people, places and programmes.
Today for , we are talking about health and wellbeing. At South Downs Leisure, that means helping people move more, feel better, rebuild confidence and stay connected at every stage of life.

Over the last year, we recorded over 308,000 gym attendances, 15,555 Phoenix Club attendances supporting older adults through activity, friendship and routine, and 3,914 swimming programme participants building confidence in the water.
We also continue to support people through programmes such as Exercise Referral, giving those who are inactive or living with health conditions a guided and supportive way to improve their wellbeing.

Seriously Social celebrates the impact charitable trusts and social enterprises have beyond leisure. It is about showing how public leisure supports healthier, happier and more connected communities.

🏋️ More space, more equipment and more ways to train

As part of the £2 million redevelopment at Worthing Leisure Centre, we’re creating a bigger, more modern gym with a dedicated new strength area.

We know members are interested in what this means for the current weights room, so we want to reassure you that strength training is not being removed. It’s being upgraded, expanded and brought into a much larger gym environment.

The new strength area will feature upgraded Inspace Fitness equipment, including more Olympic half racks, more adjustable benches, plus additional strength kit such as a dual adjustable pulley, hack squat, Smith machine, Olympic decline bench, plate loaded hip thrust and more. (see the full list on our website)

This means more choice, more variety and more opportunities to train in the way that works for you, whether you use free weights, racks, benches, cables, selectorised machines or plate loaded equipment.

The current weights room space will become a new multi-functional studio, helping us offer even more flexibility for classes, small group training and future activities.

For a full breakdown of what’s changing, including side-by-side equipment details and more information about the new strength area, read the latest update on our website.

Please note: the equipment shown in the build images is preliminary and included to help demonstrate the space. The final equipment may look slightly different.

Read the full update here:
southdownsleisure.co.uk/worthing-leisure-centre-redevelopment/

💚 People above profit is more than a campaign message, it is how we work every day.

This week, South Downs Leisure is supporting , a national campaign celebrating the social impact of charitable trusts and social enterprises delivering public leisure and culture across the UK.

As a charitable trust, we reinvest into people, places and programmes that support healthier, happier and more connected communities.

Since 2022, we have provided 2,391 complimentary FIT4 memberships, worth more than £360,000, helping people access gyms, pools and classes who may otherwise face barriers to taking part.

For some, that access can mean confidence. For others, it can mean routine, recovery, social connection or simply a safe and welcoming place to be.

Keep an eye out across the week as we share more about the impact leisure has on health and wellbeing, community, employment and skills, inclusion and the environment.

🌍 It's World Environment Day, and this year’s theme is all about climate action.

The planet is sending signals, and at South Downs Leisure, we’re committed to sending one back through real, practical action across our centres.

From solar panels at Splashpoint and Wadurs, to the Ground Source Heat Pump system at Splashpoint, EV charging at Field Place, digital sustainability, recycling initiatives, sustainable travel and our Leisure Loop recycling scheme, we’re continuing to reduce our environmental impact and make greener choices part of everyday leisure.

As an award-winning sustainable leisure trust, our goal is to make our dry side facilities carbon net zero by 2030, and all facilities, including our pools, carbon net zero by 2040.

Sustainability is not just about big projects. It’s about the choices we make every day, the partnerships we build and the community we support.

This World Environment Day, we’re proud to keep moving forward for our centres, our customers and our local environment.

Find out more about our sustainability journey on our website. https://southdownsleisure.co.uk/sustainability/