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ARENA ‘BEST LEISURE CENTRE’ IN BRITAIN
NORTHGATE ARENA has been named the best leisure centre in the country at the prestigious Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) Service Awards 2007.
The Arena, managed by the Chester and District Sports and Recreation Trust (CADSART), scooped the Sport and Leisure Facility Management Best Performer Award beating off fierce competition from other local authority leisure centres from across the UK.
The event prompted a double celebration with Northgate’s sister centre, the Christleton Sports Centre, a runner up in the award for The Most Improved Performer of the Year.
CADSART, a non-profit making charitable trust, was the only entrant in England, Scotland and Wales to have centres short-listed in both categories.
For leisure centres to even make the finals they had to demonstrate outstanding performance and excellence in offering the community superb facilities that were also value for money.
The annual awards, hosted by ex-Blue Peter presenter Diana Louise Jordan, attracted more than 450 entries from local council services.
Arena Manager Arthur Jones said: “It’s a tremendous achievement and the team are delighted. The judges looked at every aspect of how the Northgate was being operated, from how we maintained levels of quality to who was using the facilities and whether they were getting the best possible service for their money.”
“To be named as the best overall was a real honour and is testament to the professionalism and dedication of our staff.”
Bob Dutton, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of CADSART commented "These awards demonstrate the strength of CADSART'S ongoing performance and the commitment of staff to the needs of our clients. The staff deserve full commendations for their efforts and as an organisation we will continue to build on and improve our standards".
Councillor Eric Plenderleath, the city council’s Executive Member for Culture and Community added: "I am delighted that the Northgate Arena has been selected as the Overall Best Performer from a field of over 400 Leisure Centres nationwide.
“For Christleton Sports Centre also to be named runner-up in the most improved leisure centre category, in only their second year of operation with the new swimming pool, indicates the exceptional overall standard that CADSART has achieved. The award follows a rigorous annual assessment, and the Northgate Arena, managed by CADSART, and supported by Chester City Council, has now been top performer twice in the last three years. I pay tribute to the staff at both centres, whose dedication and hard work has been recognised by these awards.
APSE quite rightly described CADSART’s achievements as exceptional, setting the standard for others to follow."
APSE is a specialist in local authority front line services, hosting a network for front line service providers in areas such as waste and refuse collection, parks and environmental services, leisure, school meals, cleaning, housing and building maintenance.
CADSART General Manager John O’Neill was thrilled to bits that two centres had impressed the judges. He said: “The Staff at the centres work hard to deliver the best possible service to our customers and it’s great for their commitment to be recognised in such a public way”
Chester children are being encouraged to dance their way to good health by a university student.
Northgate Arena has brought in University of Chester preforming arts student Keeley Gordon to deliver fitness classes with a difference for youngsters aged six to 12.
Keeley delivers a dance class, using a range of styles adapted from modern pop videos.
Northgate's Jon Kelly says it's the perfect way to keep youngsters motivated while doing exercise and tackles the growing issues of childhood obesity.
More than 30 youngsters are now taking part in the weekly sessions at Northgate and Christleton gyms.
Keeley, a third year student who hopes to become a performing arts teacher when she graduates next year, said: "Dancing is getting lots of television exposure at the moment with shows such as Celebrity Come Dancing. The kids don't look at the classes as exercise. They perform a range of movements which are adapted from pop, hip hop and street videos. Because it's completely different from traditional dance classes like ballet it's also attracting boys."
Classes take place on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Contact Northgate Arena on 01244 377086 for further details.
Northgate Arena has launched a child swimming campaign to help keep Chester youngsters safe this summer.
It is offering cut-price lessons to children aged 18 months old to pre-school as part of a new safety drive. The Arena will also be boosting the number of swimming instructors qualified to work with parents and children.
Jon Kelly, Community Recreation Manager of CADSART which runs the Arena, said: “It’s important that in a city that has a river and a canal we do everything possible to get youngsters confident in water from an early age and swimming as soon as possible.
“We are running swim teachers’ training days to give our qualified instructors the additional skills to work with young children and their parents,” he added.
To encourage as many parents as possible to take up the offer the Arena has reduced the class fees to £1.50 per session. Taster sessions – to see whether children enjoy the classes - will be held between June 1st and June 3rd at a variety of times.
Anyone interested should contact Northgate Arena on 01244 380444 or application forms are available by clicking here
Strength Training for women
Many older women question the benefits of strength training but a lot of research has proven the vast physiological and psychological benefits of weight training exercises when added into a general healthy fit lifestyle. It's unfortunate, but many women over the age of thirty don't really think about the effects of getting older until they get closer to age fifty. But research has shown that the sooner you start to take action against the effects of aging, the better.
So with this information it would appear that weight training in combination with proper nutrition, as you hit thirty years of age, is very important.
For all older women, and by older women it means any woman over the age of 30, in addition to regular cardiovascular exercise, many health professionals recommend that all older women engage in regular strength training.
Why is added muscular strength so important and why would you desire to strength train?
Strength training helps older women to increase the range of movement, increase lean muscle, strengthen bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, improves health, helps prevent accidents, injuries, and sickness, and speeds rehabilitation. Strength training helps older women tone, shape and strengthen muscle fibers, minimizing the "fatty marbling" within the muscle that results in a flabby, weak muscle. Equally as important, having more strength and endurance makes daily activities easier and less tiring, thereby increasing or maintaining stamina.
Unfortunately, you cannot change the fact that you will age, but older women can control, to some degree, the rate at which age happens. Some people unwisely decrease their activity as they age, assuming it’s the norm to grow old gracefully. However, they grow old ungracefully, with substantial limits on their mobility, self-reliance, and quality of life. The end product is suffering from the ills of growing older.
Starting at around age 30 women lose approximately 6.6 pounds of lean muscle mass during each decade of life.
The few minutes you spend on your health and fitness a few days a week in the form of fitness and strength training plus following a proper healthy balanced diet will benefit all women for years to com.
Community Recreation Manager for CADSART, Jon Kelly says:-
“The fitness programmes at Northgate Arena and Christleton Sports Centre are ideally suited to help ladies improve and maintain their personal levels of fitness. Whether they want to strength train in the gym, improve their cardio-vascular capacity on treadmills and cross-trainers, or work on their over all stamina in a music based class then there will be something for them. With our flexible pricing structure the only commitment we expect our customers to make is to their own personal health”
New Future for Arena Antiques Fairs
The future of the much loved Antiques Fairs at Northgate Arena was in the balance as organisers decided to pull out of the long established event.
Antique Fairs have been a regular event at the Northgate Arena almost since the first day the centre opened in the late 1970’s and have always proved successful in a City renowned for its heritage and antiques sales pedigree. However, the management of the Fairs changed hands in recent years and its popularity had started to wane. During the summer the current organisers decided that the large hall was no longer a financially viable venue and took the decision to stop their Fairs at the Arena.
However, the Arena management decided that this would leave too large a hole in their events programme and took the decision to start a new fair, utilising the vacated long established dates of the last Saturday in the month and Bank Holidays.
‘It wasn’t an easy decision to take’ explains services manager Clive Donovan. ‘Whilst we have huge experience in event management, organising events from RAC Rally Ceremonies to Rock Concerts and trade exhibitions to Badminton Internationals, the Antique business will be new to us. There are already many established fairs and sales in the area with which we will need to compete.’ To help CADSART’s management team maintain and improve the Fairs, a local antiques trader has been retained to advise them.
‘After speaking to many potential stall holders, we identified that advertising and marketing had been reduced over the previous few years. So we’ve made a conscious decision to improve this area and already have many new promotional ideas arranged’ continues Donovan. ‘We’re not in this to make a profit, like the other events organised locally. We simply need to break even and if we do make some money then it’ll be ploughed back into the business’
The next Antiques Fairs are scheduled for Saturday 28 th October, Saturday 25 th November and a Christmas Holiday Antiques Fair to be held on Saturday 30 th December.
Doors open to customers at 9.30am with free parking and Fair admission is only £1 for everyone.
People wishing to trade at the event should speak to Clive Donovan directly on 01244 377086 extn 217 or email clive.donovan@cadsart.co.ukONCE compulsory PE lessons and after-school sports clubs come to an end, school leavers are at risk of becoming less active and missing out on the health benefits of regular exercise.
It is thought as many as 70% of young people drop sport as soon as they leave the classroom behind. This is especially true of girls.
The drop out rate in France, where there is a much healthier investment in sport for young people, is just 20%.
“It’s so important that we catch these youngsters before they fall into a life of physical inactivity,” says Jon Kelly, Community Recreation Manager for CADSART (Chester and District Sports and Recreation Trust).
“Taking regular exercise in childhood and then carrying that into adolescence means young people are more likely to make it a habit of a lifetime – thus improving their general well being and cutting the risk of ill health in adulthood.”
CADSART has launched a fitness package designed for 13-20 year olds, with the aim of keeping Chester’s young people active.
‘Energize’ covers use of the pool, gym and swimming classes at Northgate Arena and the package will be extended to Christleton Sports Centre once the new gym there opens in the autumn.
“We’re aware that young people in this age group may not have much disposable income to spend on perceived luxuries such as joining a gym,” Jon Kelly adds. “So we’ve produced a very reasonably priced fitness package which shouldn’t burn a hole in the pocket, but will be of huge benefit to youngsters.”
‘Energize’ costs just £17.95 a month. To find out more ring 01244 380444 or visit www.cadsart.co.uk
Can you Commit to Get Fit?
The body which provides sport and recreation facilities for people living in and around Chester is backing a national campaign urging us to get fit.
The Chester and District Sports and Recreation Trust (CADSART) is offering special introductory packages throughout the month of July, to encourage people in the area to take their first steps towards a healthier lifestyle.
The Commit to Get Fit campaign has been organised by the Fitness Industry Association and is supported by the NHS and sponsored by BUPA.
“This summer we want to encourage people to make physical activity an essential part of their lives,” says Jon Kelly, Community Recreation Manager for CADSART. “We’re offering 25-day trial memberships to the Northgate Arena for only £25. That’s just £1 a day – a small price to pay for getting fit and improving your health.”
With childhood obesity said to be on the rise, parents are being encouraged to help their youngsters take more exercise and to that end, CADSART is selling Junior Fitness packages for £17.95 per month from 1 st July.
The Trust also runs sports facilities at Christleton Sports Centre, Westminster Park and Malpas Sports Centre.
Trained professionals will be on hand during the campaign to offer practical help and advice on how to incorporate physical activity into your life, while enjoying access to top-quality sports and leisure facilities.
To find out more about the introductory offers and the services provided by CADSART go to www.cadsart.co.uk or ring 01244 380444.
IF you want to cool off this summer, why not take advantage of longer opening hours at Chester ’s swimming pools in Northgate Arena and Christleton?
During the schools’ summer break, the pools will open earlier from 9am weekdays at the Arena on Victoria Road , starting Monday 24 th July to Friday 1 st September.
The pool at Christleton Sports Centre on Plough Lane opens from 1pm-4pm during the week from Monday 31 st July to Friday 1 st September (excluding Bank Holiday).
The Chester and District Sports and Recreation Trust (CADSART), which runs the two pools, has just launched its summer swimming lesson programme for beginners through to more advanced swimmers.
The weekly pre-school (3 years or over), Beginner or Advanced lessons and courses will be held throughout the holidays, starting on Monday 24 th July.
The sessions for more experienced swimmers include Stroke Improvement, 25-metre award and Synchronised Swimming.
The cost for 5 x 30 minute lessons at both pools is just £12.50 or £10 for the course at Christleton which falls during Bank Holiday week.
For more information go to www.cadsart.co.uk or ring the Northgate Arena on 01244 380444 or Christleton Sports Centre on 01244 336664.
Just pop into one of the centres to pick up your application form or click here to download it.