Page 34 - SN 4 July-Aug 2022 cover.indd

P EOPLE
the first place, when it comes to having enough pools and leisure centres.”
FLEXIBLE DESIGNS
For Davies, the first step to improving the UK’s leisure facility stock is to successfully make the case that sport and physical activity matter. She wants the sector to be seen as an essential service, which saves the NHS millions by acting as a preventative health service.
“As a nation, our healthcare costs
are spiralling thanks to rising obesity levels and other lifestyle diseases,” she says. “Prevention is not only easier, but also a lot cheaper than the cure – and sports and physical activity play a huge role in that. We need local and central government to finally understand that.
“It’s not merely physical fitness that leisure centres and swimming pools could help improve, either. I think the positive effects that physical activity has on mental health remain hugely under-appreciated.
“So what we have to do is to make governments at all levels understand that we need to have affordable, clean, welcoming and inclusive facilities that people will want to use – and stay fitter and healthier. That really is one of my big quests in life.”
To put this quest – which extends beyond just improving pools – into action, Davies has partnered with Paragon Structures,
a specialist in tensile buildings. As an ambassador and shareholder in the company, Davies now promotes the virtues of tensioned membrane structures, which she says are affordable, accessible and
There is a shortage
of 8,000 swimming teachers in England alone
– importantly – flexible and sustainable, making them cheaper to operate.
“It’s time to think differently about how
we build sport and physical activity spaces,” Davies says. “For one, facilities should be multi-use, because we really need to think about how we get the best out of our money from the things we’re building. Not all children like traditional sports, but by helping them find an activity they enjoy we can develop good habits that will last a lifetime to benefit their mental and physical health.
“Also, great facilities don’t have to take two years to construct and they don’t need to be so expensive. That’s where using membrane structures comes in – they can significantly reduce the total build programme and
they are up to 40 per cent cheaper too. “That’s important, because one of the
biggest issues at the moment is that local authorities are scared witless about how are they’re going to be able to afford to run some of these old facilities. This is why I’m excited about this partnership – we can offer a potential solution, rather than just bemoan the fact that we have a problem.”
Davies says tensile structures could offer a solution
to the UK’s ageing leisure centre stock
34 SPORTSNATION.ORG.UK
JAN/FEB 2022
© PARAGON