The future of Bolton’s leisure and sports facilities lies in “working with the local community”, says one of the town’s top experts.
Neil Hutchinson is managing director of the Middlebrook Leisure Trust, which runs the Bolton Arena Community Sports Village, celebrating 25 years next year.
He points to changes like a renewed appreciation of outdoor activities as pivotal and believes the way forward involves taking sports initiatives into deprived areas to improve uptake and boost health. His own background is inspirational. The 52-year-old worked his way up in the industry from being a lifeguard in a leisure centre in his teens.
Now, he is in charge of not just the Arena but also Wigan-based fellow charity organisation Inspiring Healthy Lifestyles. IHL runs healthy living projects in Cannock Chase in Staffordshire from gardening to singing and walking to knitting.
Neil, born and brought up in Burnley, admits he was “never academic at school” but was keen on sports, in particular football and cross-country running. That early stint as a lifeguard – “and doing everything from cleaning to organising children’s parties” – proved a useful start in the field.
He spent more than 10 years there and trained as a swimming coach, a football coach and a personal trainer. He also went back to college to take a variety of sporting and management qualifications, beginning a move into management which saw him as duty manager then-site manager before moving to another leisure job in Halifax, West Yorkshire. He spent six years as site manager and fitness manager in charge of six sites and working on new gym extensions.
From there he moved to Knowsley on Merseyside in charge of another group, all the time gaining valuable experience in both leisure and partnership organisations like the police and dealing with a diverse variety of cultural groups.
“I did tend to move around because I like to have a challenge,” he explained. “I don’t like to get too comfortable!
“I also like to allow staff to manage their own areas so when I have left everything still runs smoothly.”
After moving back to Burnley and another top job, Neil took the head role at the Middlebrook Arena three and a half years ago to continue a rising career which has been littered with awards.
For Neil and his staff, the last couple of years have proved busy. The Arena, which has a contract with Bolton Council, attracts more than 1.2 million visitors annually and is home to one of the country’s top tennis performance centres. As well as a vibrant business village, it has a popular 24-hour gym, a full football schedule and gymnastics classes that regularly attract scores of youngsters.
It also runs badminton sessions, walking netball and biking and is home to groups like Andy’s Man Club. Walking football has seen a big rise in popularity and Arena players have been selected for national representation.
The Arena also hosts a full programme of outside events, from a major cheerleading competition and trade shows to a national Pickleball tournament.
Government cuts and financial uncertainty for the leisure industry, however, mean creative thinking on future planning.
So Neil has turned to some of the lessons from lockdown for inspiration.
“Then, people really started to appreciate the outdoors with more walking and cycling and outside activities,” he said. “I think the future of the industry lies in this and in getting involved with more community groups.
“We need to do more with walks in the local countryside – there’s a walk around Red Moss (on land adjacent to the Arena), for example, which doesn’t seem well-known. “We also need to make more use of our parks and get people gardening on allotments.
“At the Arena we also have funds in place for future outreach working in deprived local communities elsewhere in the borough.”
Any profits made by the Arena are reinvested there both to improve services and to help subsidise facilities for poorer families. It runs comprehensive holiday programmes, working with local charity Bolton Together in partnership with Bolton Council’s HAF (Holiday, Activity and Food) programme.
The Arena, a member of the GM Active Network, is also involved with the Prehab for Cancer project that works with people who have had treatment, or face it.
“We can save the NHS thousands by helping people be healthier before their treatment, ultimately cutting down on hospital time,” said Neil.
As for the Arena over the next 25 years, Neil envisages expansion “provided it’s right for the organisation and everyone who works here”.
All of which sounds like a healthy prescription for Bolton’s future.
