Parkwood Leisure to launch five new MSK Community Hubs

Leisure facility operator, Parkwood Leisure, is launching five new musculoskeletal [MSK] Hubs.

The company is expanding its services after its MSK Community Hubs initiative was deemed to be “instrumental in enhancing the quality of life for participants”. Surveys of its original pilot sites revealed that nearly two-thirds (62.5%) of participants reported improvements in their wellbeing, with many achieving significant relief from their MSK conditions.

Parkwood now has 33 locations across England and Wales including new sites in Bromley, Boston, Ilfracombe, Leeds and Milton Keynes.

Parkwood says the new sites are part of it reaffirming its commitment to MSK support and driving “impactful change” in its communities across England and Wales.

MSK Community Hubs were developed as part of the Government’s Healthy Ageing Challenge, initially a pilot project driven by a consortium of partners; ukactive, Good Boost, Orthopaedic Research UK, ESCAPE-pain and Arthritis Action.

After a successful two-year pilot – in which 30 leisure centres in the Parkwood Leisure group became MSK Community Hubs – Parkwood Leisure, in partnership with Legacy Leisure, Lex Leisure, Creating Active Futures and 1Life, is now actively growing sites and training MSK leads to manage the programmes.

Managing Director of Parkwood Leisure, Glen Hall said: “It’s not often that you get to be involved in a pilot project that has such a demonstrable impact, the numbers speak for themselves with an estimated £981,000 of social value generated during our 10-month live pilot period across 30 of our sites.

“Parkwood Leisure continues to expand the MSK Hubs and we have plans to continue on this path and open more hubs in the future.”