City of Lincoln Council is thrilled to announce it has appointed charitable social enterprise Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL) as the interim operator for Yarborough and Birchwood Leisure Centres.
This follows the immediate closure of both centres after Active Nation ceased trading on 3 April 2025.
GLL will manage the indoor and outdoor facilities at both leisure centres for an interim period of two years, ensuring the rapid restoration of vital leisure services for Lincoln residents.
The appointment follows a rigorous emergency procurement process that saw four submissions received, all of a high standard, with GLL chosen as the preferred provider following a review of price and quality.
The council is now working closely with GLL to prepare both centres for reopening. The target remains to have both sites fully operational by mid-July 2025.
GLL is a worker-owned co-operative and charitable social enterprise with 33 years' experience of managing leisure facilities nationwide. GLL’s mission is to improve the physical, mental and social wellbeing of local communities.
The outdoor leisure facilities at both sites were back up and running just one week after the initial closure, thanks to the swift action of Lincoln City Foundation, the charitable arm of Lincoln City Football Club.
Lincoln City Foundation and the council worked together to welcome back sports clubs, community groups and regular hires of the outdoor leisure facilities on a phased basis.
The Foundation continues to manage the outdoor leisure facilities at both sites on behalf of the council to ensure continued access to some community services.
The city council has put in significant work over the past two months to identify a preferred provider and prepare the centres to welcome customers back once again. Local contractor Gelder has been on site throughout this period, carrying out vital maintenance and repairs.
Cllr Naomi Tweddle, Leader of City of Lincoln Council, said:
“We are extremely pleased to confirm the appointment of GLL as our interim operator of these vital leisure centres.
“Their experience and proven capability will be essential in getting both Yarborough and Birchwood Leisure Centres back up and running for the community.
“We would like to give thanks and show our gratitude once again to Lincoln City Foundation for stepping in and managing the outdoor spaces at both sites while we were in the process of finding our new provider.
“The city council remains committed to restoring access to these high-quality leisure services as quickly and safely as possible.
“We would like to thank residents for their patience while we got this matter sorted, and we can’t wait for them to be using these crucial facilities once again.”
Chris Hebblewhite, Director of Standards and Compliance at GLL said:
"We look forward to working with City of Lincoln Council and the local community to reopen these facilities as quickly and safely as we can to deliver the best possible leisure services at Yarborough and Birchwood Leisure Centres.
"We'll be reaching out to customers this summer providing further details on programmes, memberships and the lessons & courses that will be available through our customer brand BETTER.
"Speaking as someone who was brought up in Lincoln and knows the city's leisure facilities well, I greatly appreciate their importance to everyone’s health and wellbeing and therefore we are focused on preserving and enhancing that legacy.
"Over the course of the next couple of months we’re replacing gym equipment and improving the look and feel of the facilities. There will also be employment opportunities with roles across fitness, customer services, lifeguarding and management."
City of Lincoln Council and GLL will work together to update residents as progress is made towards reopening both leisure centres.