This Sunday, 17th August, Your Space Worksop will be hosting the Annual Triathlon Club Event.
Please note that all morning wetside activities will be cancelled, including Parent & Child swimming lessons.
The pools will reopen as normal from 11:00am, and all activities will resume as scheduled from then.
Thank you for your understanding and support, and good luck to everyone taking part in the event!
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Welcome to your summer BPL newsletter where we round up all the latest news and happenings across the organisation!
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been busy welcoming new team members, celebrating some milestones with long-serving staff and taking part in lots of local events to raise funds and awareness for many causes we care about.
We’ve also given away holidays to four lucky Your Space members who were the winners of our big summer competition!
Read on to find out how we’re helping our communities feel good!
Good for Employees
Congratulations to our Facility Manager Rob Brooks who has completed over 30 years of service!
Thank you Rob – and well done on reaching this amazing milestone!
A warm welcome to all our new starters who completed their inductions over the past few weeks.
These include Brandon, who has joined the Metrodome as a leisure attendant; Ffion, Emilee and Hannah who have started fitness and front of house roles at Your Space Pontefract and Jacqui, who has made the leap from Your Space member to becoming a fitness instructor and joined the team at Your Space Hoyland.
Our Aquatics Development Officer Joanne has celebrated 35 years of working at Retford Leisure Centre.
Joanne started swimming for Retford Swimming Club and then went on to be a lifeguard, swimming teacher and lifesaving teacher at Retford before starting her current role in 2018.
Thank you Joanne for all your hard work over the years!
Good for Customers
Congratulations to our ‘win a summer holiday campaign’ winners – Nic, Michael, Mark and Kelly!
Throughout June, we gave away holidays to four Your Space members, who scanned QR codes placed at our sites to gain entry into a prize draw.
Our lucky winners will now enjoy trips to Ibiza, Turkey, Centre Parcs and Budapest.
Olympic Gold Medallist and South Yorkshire’s Active Travel Commissioner Ed ClancyOBE saw first hand the incredible work being done to promote inclusive cycling when he attended a Wheels for All session at Dorothy Hyman Sports Centre.
Wheels for All sessions are designed to empower individuals of all ages and abilities to experience the joy of cycling using specially adapted bikes.
A big thank you to Ed for your support and for coming along to meet our amazing participants.
We’re proud to support professional squash player Asia Harris through our FANS scheme for talented athletes.
Asia, who is ranked number 72 in the world, is a member at Your Space Pontefract and attends the gym and classes several times a week.
She said she enjoys the club’s clean, friendly environment and welcoming staff.
We’re hosting a range of swimming crash courses and fun activities in our pools over the summer holidays.
Check out our social media pages for details of what’s coming up over the next few weeks.
Great Delivery
We’re thrilled to have achieved an 85 per cent Leading in Sustainability score – the highest score to date achieved by any organisation – emphasising our commitment to minimising our impact on the environment.
Through support from Net Zero Barnsley, we received a Sustainability Scorecard from Profit Impact B Corp to help us understand our progress towards developing a culture of sustainability.
BPL has been honoured with the NCA Young Carer Friendly Award by the Nottinghamshire Carers Association.
The award celebrates our dedication to creating a supportive environment for young carers, ensuring they are identified and receive the assistance they need.
We’re looking for passionate, strategic thinkers to join our board as trustees and help shape the future of our charitable trust.
If you have experience in business, finance, law, marketing or community development and want to make a real difference in local health and wellbeing, we would love to hear from you.
To find out more or apply, email headoffice@bpl.org.uk
Good for All
We had a great day at the Barnsley 10k where Your Space was proud to be the headline sponsor.
Over 45 members of staff came together to take part in this fantastic community event.
The feel good factor was sky high and we can’t wait to do it all again next year!
Our brand new Derek the Dolphin mascot made his debut as 100 years of Langold village was celebrated with a family centenary walk.
A huge thank you to our staff from Worksop Leisure centre who were also on hand to offer valuable water safety advice at the event.
It was great to see so many local businesses getting involved once again this year.
A big shout out to Your Space Bircotes who raised £310 for Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) from their yummy bake sale.
A big thank you to everyone who helped with organising and donating homemade treats.
BPL’s Luke Walker, Mark Goodhead and Anne Nixon laced up their boots to tackle a 31k charity walk.
Well done to them and everyone taking part who raised vital funds for Barnsley Hospice.
Metrodome swim teacher Rob and his daughter Isabelle embarked on the epic Great North Swim in Keswick to raise money for Barnsley Hospital’s paediatric unit.
Since 2013, Rob has raised £14,000 for charity – an amazing achievement!
Your Space Hoyland are pleased to sponsor Wombwell Town Football Club’s Under 11s red team.
Best of luck to the team going forward!
A team of staff and members from Your Space Hoyland had a fantastic day at a charity Dragonboat race at Manvers Lake.
They reached the semi final of the event and raised an incredible £2,548 for Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice.
The event was opened by the Mayor and Mayoress of Barnsley and saw teams from across the region come together to celebrate sport.
Well done to Your Space Bircotes fitness instructor Jennie and friends who took part in the York 5k Race for Life.
They raised over £2,000 for Cancer Research UK.
A great time was had by everyone taking part in the Yorkshire Kurling Pairs Championship at Your Space Hoyland.
The event was opened by the Deputy Mayor and proudly sponsored by BPL.
The winners on the day were Barnsley Brigands with a team of Stephen and Frank.
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BPL Launches Water Safety Education Plans for Local Children
BPL has committed to helping over 20,000 children across the communities we serve become more informed and confident about staying safe around water.
As part of this goal, our team will be visiting local schools to deliver engaging and age-appropriate assemblies focused on water safety—just in time for the summer holidays.
“Drowning is one of the leading causes of accidental death among children. Many of these tragedies are preventable through simple education and preparation.
By equipping children with practical knowledge and techniques, we empower them to enjoy the water safely—whether at the beach, pool, or local lakes and rivers.”
Sarah-Leigh Dudley, Aquatics Operational Manager at BPL
We also plan to involve children already enrolled in our swimming lessons by participating in Drowning Prevention Week, where they will be able to practice essential life-saving skills, such as learning the SAFE code, swimming in clothes and learning how to Float to Live.
These activities help children prepare for real-life scenarios and build their confidence in and around water.
“Our aim is to significantly reduce the risk of drowning by ensuring young people understand the dangers of open water, know how to act in an emergency, and develop the skills needed to keep themselves and others safe.
Through this initiative, we hope to build a generation of water-aware young people who respect the water, know how to respond in an emergency, and spread the message of safety throughout their families and communities.”
Sarah-Leigh Dudley
Stay tuned for updates as we continue working towards safer, more confident swimmers across our communities.
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Your Space Member Michael Wins Family Centre Parcs Holiday!
Your Space Member Michael Wins Family Centre Parcs Holiday!
Posted on 2/07/25
Friday was filled with excitement at Your Space Hoyland, as long-standing member Michael Mchugh picked up the phone to hear life changing news: he and his wife Sheila had won our final Summer Giveaway prize a family holiday to Centre Parcs!
“That’s brilliant. To be honest, that’s the only one we were really interested in. We’ve never been to Centre Parcs!”
Michael and Sheila have been part of the Your Space Hoyland since the centre opened, sharing years of friendship, fitness, and fun together.
“We’ve been going up to Hoyland since it opened, back in the day, we’ve seen all the changes. We’re both 66 now! I used to play five-a-side there when I was 18.”
Staying active is part of their lifestyle, with a weekly routine that includes group exercise classes and more:
“We do Body Attack on Mondays, I go to spin, my wife does Body Pump, but the one we’ve done most is Boxercise. We’ve been doing Boxercise for years!”
Michael had special words of thanks for the team and fellow members:
“Just keep going up, enjoy the classes. They’re all good instructors, and it’s a great community.”
We’re delighted to see this well deserved win go to such dedicated members. Congratulations again, Michael and Sheila! Enjoy your Centre Parcs adventure!
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Your Space Member Mark from Mansfield Wins a Dream Trip to Budapest!
Your Space Member Mark from Mansfield Wins a Dream Trip to Budapest!
Posted on 24/06/25
Friday brought some incredible news to Mark Dowthwaite, who picked up the phone to discover he’d just become the latest winner in our Summer Giveaway, securing an unforgettable trip to Budapest!
Rachel from the Your Space team delivered the big news:
“I’m really, really pleased to say that you’ve won our trip this week to Budapest!”
Mark’s reaction was pure disbelief and joy:
“I never win absolutely anything, thank you so much! Oh my God, this is a really good time.”
Currently in prep for his first bodybuilding competition, Mark shared,
“I’m training really, really hard at the moment every single day, my body is definitely fatigued without a doubt.”
A dedicated Your Space Mansfield member for almost two years, Mark makes the most of everything on offer:
“I just do a range of everything really – the café, swimming, sauna, classes, the gym… it’s all great!”
When asked what makes Your Space special, Mark was full of praise for the team:
“Honestly, what an excellent team that’s in place. I can’t speak highly enough about any of them, all just a great group of people, always happy to help and give advice.”
Mark’s first call after hearing the news? His partner who we’re sure will be just as excited!
Congratulations Mark! Enjoy every moment in Budapest, and good luck with your competition prep!
Stay tuned for our next feel-good winner story, and remember, every scan could be your ticket to the next dream getaway with Your Space.
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Your Space Member Kelly Wins Family Holiday to Turkey!
Your Space Member Kelly Wins Family Holiday to Turkey!
Posted on 19/06/25
Friday just got a whole lot brighter for Kelly Egan from Your Space Worksop, our latest Summer Giveaway winner who picked up the phone to some life-changing news on her way to an award ceremony.
As Rachel from the Your Space team shared the announcement, the excitement was unmistakable:
“I’m ringing to tell you that you are a successful winner of the holiday this week, you’ll be enjoying a holiday to Turkey!”
Surprised and emotional, Kelly replied:
“Oh my God, I’ve not been on holiday abroad for about six years, and the kids have been asking me for about ten years!”
When asked about her favourite ways to stay active, Kelly shared:
“I like to do the classes BodyPump, Kettlebell, Spin, going in the gym, Aqua, a few things really.”
Kelly thanked the team and gave her tip for fellow members:
“Thank you very, very much. Just scan as many times as you can and take part!”
Stay tuned for more feel-good stories and your next chance to win with Your Space.
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Your Space Member Nic Celebrates Dream Holiday Win!
Your Space Member Nic Celebrates Dream Holiday Win!
Posted on 11/06/25
Excitement, disbelief, and pure joy captured the moment Your Space member Nic Wilkinson found out she had won an incredible holiday to Ibiza through our Summer Fitness Giveaway!
“I still can’t believe it! Thank you so much, Your Space,”
– Nic Wilkinson
On a heartwarming call with the Your Space team, Nic’s emotions overflowed: “No way! Oh my god… I’m crying!” Her genuine disbelief quickly turned into delight as the reality of her prize set in.
When asked who she would first tell about her incredible win, Nic didn’t hesitate, tearfully answering:“My husband!”
Being a dedicated Your Space member for over two decades, Nic’s win was particularly meaningful. “I’ve been a member for 22 years!” she proudly exclaimed.
Nic also offered encouragement to other members still hoping to win in the ongoing summer draws, sharing the warmth and positivity she’s experienced as part of the Your Space community:
Just keep going and keep enjoying it, this really can happen to anyone!
Remember, there are still more dream holidays to be won! Keep visiting Your Space clubs and enjoy your favourite activities – every visit counts!
Congratulations once again, Nic and we can’t wait to hear all about your amazing Ibiza adventure!
Stay tuned for more inspiring winner stories soon.
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New Gym Facilities Proving Popular at Dorothy Hyman Sports Centre
New Gym Facilities Proving Popular at Dorothy Hyman Sports Centre
Posted on 3/06/25
Members at Dorothy Hyman Sports Centre are enjoying a brand new state-of-the-art gym experience, thanks to fresh investment in the facility.
The gym has been fully refurbished and now features the latest equipment from Technogym, including new studio cycling bikes, treadmills, and free weights, plus the addition of a BOX 12 pod, offering interactive boxing workouts for all abilities.
The centre has also received a full rebrand, complete with new artwork, signage, and digital screens to bring it perfectly in line with the rest of BPL’s Your Space gyms.
“At BPL, we are all about bringing spaces to life and this is a great example of that. Dorothy Hyman Sports Centre is very much a community orientated facility. We pride ourselves on the customer service we provide and the compliments about our staff have always been excellent.
Now we can add to that with the new gym offering; investing back into the facility, further improving the member experience. The feedback we’ve had from customers since the redevelopment has been outstanding, we’re absolutely delighted with it.”
Martin Prest, Facility Manager
If you haven’t visited yet, come and see the new look for yourself! The team is ready to welcome you and help you get the most out of every session.
The sun is shining and we’re looking forward to lots of spring and Easter themed events across our clubs to keep the whole family entertained over the holidays.
We’ve also been rounding up a busy couple of months where, among other things, we’ve been raising money for Red Nose Day, celebrating the successes of our staff and customers and launching our exciting new Let’s Get Going campaign to further support the health and wellbeing of our local communities.
Read on to find out more about how we’re helping people feel good!
Good for Employees
A huge congratulations to BPL’s Caron for receiving the ‘You’re So Good’ award!
Caron’s outstanding leadership in running the Fitness for All day every Tuesday has made a real impact, as she consistently goes above and beyond to create a fun, welcoming and inclusive atmosphere.
Her dedication and enthusiasm truly makes a difference – well done Caron!
A warm BPL welcome to all the new starters who have joined us over the past couple of months!
Those who have recently had their inductions include Manzo, Dean, Lilli, Charlie, Filip, Dominic, Taya, Michael and Jake.
Good for Customers
We’re proud to support Your Space Pontefract member Roger Castillo on his archery journey through our FANs scheme for talented athletes.
Roger was a first reserve at Paris 2024 and is pushing to be part of the LA2028 Olympic team.
We’re thrilled to play a small part in his journey and wish him every success in pursuit of Olympic glory.
Our new artwork celebrates Cudworth’s own Dorothy Hyman – a true sporting icon whose dedication and achievements continue to inspire generations.
Great delivery
Let’s Get Going – our new community-focused initiative to enhance the wellbeing of Barnsley and Bassetlaw residents – has launched online!
Let’s Get Going is for anyone who wants to lead a more active and fulfilling life, helping residents of all ages and abilities to find enjoyable ways to increase their activity levels and enhance their quality of life.
The new website www.letsgetgoing.com includes details of the many sports and activities taking place across our clubs, as well as information on where to get help and advice on a range of issues.
You can also keep up to date with Let’s Get Going on Facebook and Instagram.
BPL’s Anne, Connor and Mark worked with Barnsley Hospital’s wellbeing team to deliver a successful wellness event for hospital staff.
BPL and partners took over the physiotherapy department to deliver a fun-filled day of activity and healthy lifestyle advice; giving employees a taste of what we offer at BPL.
As many of them work shifts, we took our services to them so they could have a go and hopefully find something they enjoy.
We engaged with over 250 hospital staff, with plans to now make this an annual event.
Back in February, we had the pleasure of running the Aqua Festival, as part of the School Games in Barnsley.
Children from various local schools came together for a day full of energy, competition and fun!
A big thank you to all the incredible teachers, staff and volunteers who make this event such a success – let’s keep fostering teamwork, sportsmanship and fun in our communities!
They supported Autumn who experienced a minor medical emergency whilst at the site.
Well done to the team for your actions!
It was great to see collaboration across two of our sites when the catering team at Your Space Mansfield joined one of our chefs, Anthony, at the Metrodome recently.
During the visit, they enjoyed trying out some new menu ideas and experimenting with different prep and cooking techniques.
We always enjoy doing our bit for Red Nose Day and this year was no exception!
A big thank you to everyone who joined in with our fundraising at Your Space Metrodome.
£80 was raised for the cause thanks to your generosity.
In celebration of English Tourism Week, we’re proud of the part we play in making health, fitness and leisure more accessible for our local communities – and visitors from further afield.
We took the opportunity to shout about our award-winning leisure centres and our golf courses, which are here to support your health and wellbeing while you enjoy everything our region has to offer, whether you live locally or are just passing through.
Your Space Bircotes is proud to have become a sponsor of Harworth Colliery Juniors, providing them with training bibs.
Good luck to the team for all your upcoming matches!
Improvements will include replacing outdated gas heating with heat pumps, alongside solar panels, LED lighting and other energy saving upgrades.
These improvements will cut 448 tonnes of CO2 per year, reducing emissions by 60 per cent per site and over 20 per cent of the council’s total carbon footprint.
A huge step towards Net Zero 2040!
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Welcome to the latest issue of your BPL newsletter and the first one of 2025.
We’ve had a busy start to the year across our sites, following a fantastic festive period, where we enjoyed celebrating with many of our customers who came along to our events.
Thank you to everyone who joined us!
Read on to find out how we celebrated, as well as all the other feel good news from our staff and customers.
Good for Employees
We enjoyed a great evening celebrating 25 years of BPL and the amazing people who make up the organisation.
Congratulations to all the Feel Good Awards’ winners , including Your Space Hoyland (Site of the Year), Rachel Rinkcavage (Leader of the Year) and Zin Zan Barden and George Hobson (Joint Employees of the Year).
Ready to make a splash?
We’re looking for a passionate Swim Teacher to join our team at Your Space Dearneside.
If you have the skills to help our community stay active, happy and confident in the water, or know someone who might fit the bill, more details and how to apply can be found here.
We’ve had lots of new starters join our team over the last couple of months.
A big welcome to Cody, Izzy, Ami, Louis, Daisy, Kerry, Eve, Maddison, Freya, Jack, Ashton, Karys,
Our Wellbeing Champions recently held a Christmas get together, including a quiz chaired by Anne Nixon.
They also enjoyed the chance to discuss exciting plans and ideas for the coming months.
Good for Customers
We enjoyed lots of Christmas parties and events across our sites throughout December, where it was great to see so many people getting involved and having fun.
Celebrations included Christmas fancy dress classes at Your Space Retford, the Kilton Memory Group Christmas party and a secret santa day at Kilton Forest.
The new state-of-the-art gym features top of the range equipment from Technogym, including new studio cycling bikes, along with the introduction of a BOX 12 POD; creating a facility which the whole community can be proud of.
We’re already looking forward to February half-term and will be hosting some extra fun swim sessions at Your Space Royston.
These will be held on Monday 17th, Wednesday 19th and Friday 21st February from 1pm to 2pm.
Great Delivery
We were thrilled to win the Best Membership Campaign Award at the 2024 National Fitness Awards at the end of November.
After winning this award in 2022, it was amazing to regain the title at the awards’ ceremony in Leicester, where some of our team had a great night celebrating with attendees from across the fitness industry.
A massive well done to the incredible team at Your Space Worksop whose quick thinking actions proved vital when member Bill suffered a heart attack during his regular lane swim session.
A few weeks later, Bill has been back in to see the team and thank them for their actions on the night and for the calls, visits and well wishes he’s received since from staff and friends from the centre.
Bill is a wonderful man who lights up every Thursday night with his kind words and care for everyone he meets.
We’re sending him our very best wishes and hope he’s back swimming with us again soon.
We must give a shoutout to our dedicated staff members who went above and beyond to keep us open during the recent snowy weather conditions.
Your hard work ensured everyone who wanted to visit us could do so safely.
Over 20 young carers from the Bassetlaw area attended a special Christmas party, arranged by BPL’s Angie Dainty.
A great day was had by all, including food, bingo, games and a special visit from Santa.
We were recently invited to the Barnsley Schools PE Conference where we spoke to schools about the importance of learning to swim and our school swimming programme.
The event also marked the launch of two exciting initiatives – Born to Move and Funetics – offering opportunities for local kids to be active and have fun.
Your Space Metrodome delivered a special delivery of selection boxes to be handed out to children visiting Barnsley Hospice with families over Christmas.
£215 was also donated to the hospice from a coffee morning and ‘guess the elf name’ competition.
Thank you to everyone who took part.
Your Space Hoyland raised an amazing £2,531 for Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice by taking on Thor’s Valhalla Rowing Challenge.
A big well done to everyone for their viking efforts and fantastic fundraising!
We were once again proud to support our local communities over Christmas by sponsoring a snowflake for Sheffield Children’s Hospital’s Snowflake Appeal and a star for Barnsley Hospital Charity Shine Bright for Barnsley initiative.
We’re proud to have piloted the first Born to Move class in Barnsley located within a primary school.
Thank you to Les Mills for helping with the resources and guiding us along the way.
We had a great day with the Be Well @ Work team, Community Shop on the Go and How’s Thi Ticker at Freshpak, bringing health and wellbeing to their staff canteen.
Together, we gave out fresh fruit and veg, shared nutrition and wellbeing advice and delivered health checks to the Freshpak team.
Thank you to their staff for such a warm welcome and for engaging with everything we had to offer – it was a fantastic day of feel good fun!
Diabetes UK is collaborating with South Yorkshire ICB to host events in Barnsley for people living with diabetes.
As part of this, our Community Health Team partnered with How’s Thi Ticker to share information on how we can support healthy lifestyles at Your Space.
Members and staff at Your Space Metrodome had a great time raising money for Children in Need.
They embraced the day by attending in their pyjamas, kept the spin bike going for an impressive 12 hours straight and members baked delicious cakes and goodies.
Thank you to everyone who joined in, donated and helped make the day such a success.
Due to your generosity, £299 was raised for the charity.
