As the charitable trust responsible for running Bolton Arena Community Sports Village, we are delighted to have won the contract to operate the five other publicly owned leisure facilities in the borough.
It means Bolton Middlebrook Leisure Trust (BMLT), a registered charity, which has been running the Arena for 25 years, is taking over responsibility for the leisure centres at Horwich, Farnworth, and Westhoughton along with Leverhulme Park Community Centre and the Jason Kenny Centre at Bolton One.
The move follows a rigorous competitive bid process instigated by Bolton Council, the result of which the successful bidder was announced on Monday 19th January.
BMLT will be taking over operations at all the centres from Bolton Community Leisure Trust (Serco) from 1st April 2026.
Neil Hutchinson, BMLT’s Managing Director, says: “We are delighted all our hard work here at Bolton Arena Community Sports Village has been recognised and has culminated with our successful bid.
“It was an extensive and competitive process designed to secure the best possible outcome for the residents and communities of Bolton, and we are very much looking forward to working as Bolton Council’s agent in providing the strongest combination of quality, innovation and value for money services.
“The new contract is part of Bolton Council’s broader transformation strategy to deliver innovative and financially sustainable leisure services.
“Over the past 22 years, we have put the community at the heart of everything we do, inspiring everyone to pursue a passion for sport, and active, healthy lifestyles.
“We will be using our successful charitable model and bringing our ethos and culture to all five additional sites as we create a strong network of community-focused health and wellbeing facilities alongside investment that enhances the offering, ensuring services that our diverse communities can be proud of.”
Cllr Nick Peel, Leader of Bolton Council, says: “Like any public organisation, we have a legal responsibility to carry out a thorough and robust tendering process when awarding contracts.
“Contracts are awarded based on several factors including value for money, quality of service and benefits to residents.
“All the bids were very strong, and I thank Serco for their service delivery during their contract with the council.”
Suzanne Hilton, Chair of Bolton Middlebrook Leisure Trust, adds: “We thank Bolton Council for putting its trust in us as their new managing agent for Bolton’s leisure facilities. As an independent and entirely self-financing local charity, part of the Bolton family of organisations, we exist to enhance the health and wellbeing of local people. To this end we reinvest all our surplus funds into new facilities and services for their benefit, keeping the Bolton pound in Bolton.
“I am very proud of the work our trust has done, the partnerships we’ve developed, and the outcomes delivered, supporting those who live and work in Bolton to be active and healthy.
“We feel privileged and excited to have this opportunity to expand our successful model and can’t wait to get to work on having an even greater impact on our local communities!”
Bolton Arena was originally built to accommodate badminton for the Manchester Commonwealth Games of 2002, while at the same time creating a new hub for elite British tennis at a regional level.
Since then, it has transformed itself into inclusive community hub catering for everyone from elite tennis players to walking footballers – adding community to its name earlier this year to reflect the number of community focused initiatives taking place there.
Neil Hutchinson: “About 80% of what we do is about our communities, working with other agencies and organisations across Bolton for the benefit of Bolton people.
“We host a wide-ranging programme at the Arena, which includes bereavement cafes and mental health support groups and recently started a walking football group for people with Parkinson’s Disease. Our teams work with partners which include Age UK, Bolton Deaf Society, Bolton GP Federation and many disability groups.”
