SLC ran a Trust Seminar on 6 October for 10 Derbyshire Councils in Matlock, with three leading Trust Chief Executives ‘telling it like it is’ and sharing their experiences of setting up, establishing and developing their Trusts. The learning proved to be very powerful for the Officers who attended. The event was organised by Derbyshire Sport as part of SLC’s support for Derbyshire Councils in exploring potential ways to deliver their services more efficiently. Speakers included:

  • Peter Kay, Chief Executive of Fusion Lifestyles, one of the largest Leisure Trusts in the UK
  • Helen Barnett, Chief Executive of the highly regarded Active Luton Trust
  • Dave Cove, Chief Executive of Sportspace (Dacorum Leisure Trust) who developed the radical new indoor extreme sports facility ‘XC’
  • Joanna Bussell, Partner, Winckworth Sherwood

Duncan Wood-Allum chaired the session which focused on providing senior leaders in Derbyshire an opportunity to explore the realities, challenges and opportunities faced by a range of Trusts in establishing themselves and developing their businesses over time. Feedback from the 10 local authorities which attended was excellent and the speakers were praised for the way in which they shared their experiences and invaluable learning.

Duncan Wood-Allum said, “SLC would like to thank Peter, Helen, Dave and Joanna for supporting this event along with Derbyshire Sport / Derbyshire Dales DC for organising / hosting the event. It was refreshing to get behind the usual gloss of Trust presentations to hear about the reality of three very different Trusts and their respective approaches. We are committed to helping clients identify the best way forward in these challenging times. There are no easy answers, but events like this promote better understanding of the issues to be faced and potential opportunities afforded by alternative management options.”

Paul Chambers, Business Development Director of Derbyshire Sport, said, “The work that SLC has coordinated for us in Derbyshire has enabled us to identify the possibilities for further efficiencies and to encourage all our local authority partners to engage in more cross border collaboration”.

To find out how SLC can support your organisation in exploring the right management options and/or brokering wider efficiencies, contact us on 01444 487740 or email info@sportleisureculture.co.uk