Live Active Leisure (LAL), the leisure trust for Perth & Kinross has ended their 2012-2013 business year with a high; the recent Primary Times Star Awards that highlight the best of what Fife, Tayside and Central Scotland has to offer families has awarded LAL prizes in two categories.

The trust won a joint first in The Best Out of School Activity Provider and its Perth Leisure Pool won a joint first in the Leisure Centre category.

The Primary Times Star Awards follow LAL's shortlisted finalist place in Perthshire Chamber of Commerce's Business Awards for "Excellence in Marketing" in November 2012. Both this and Perth Leisure Pool's win are direct results of its hugely successful "Make a Splash This Spring" campaign that was launched in April 2012.

Perth Leisure Pool is one of Live Active Leisure's longest standing and most successful venues and has consistently offered a high quality visitor experience for over 20 years. With the 'leisure pound' increasingly difficult to attract due to more choice and financial constraints, the decision was made last spring to launch an aggressive, price led campaign that would allow local and visiting families to enjoy the pool's facilities at a reduced price point.

The campaign had three key objectives:

1. To keep Perth Leisure Pool at the top end of local destination leisure visits thus maintaining their year on year visitor numbers for the key Easter Holiday period

2. To encourage families to take part in activities together

3. To offer a value for money leisure experience for locals and visitors alike

The value for money aspect of this campaign was important not only in attracting more customers but in assisting LAL meet the Company's mission of giving people the opportunity to experience quality, value for money choices in a vibrant and safe environment. The success of the campaign was exceptional. Visitor numbers were evidence of the continuing attraction of the venue, the advertising attached to the campaign and the correct identification of the target market and key price point. 

 And so, against a background of falling leisure swimming numbers nationally this has seen Live Active Leisure buck the downward trend. Such was its success in attracting numbers that it is being run again for April 2013 with the addition of a social media campaign via the Facebook Voucher System. For a small nominal fee, this has been hugely popular and promoted face likes as well as "shares" and page interaction.

Karen Taylor, Marketing Manager of Live Active Leisure commented, "We were delighted with the success of our "Make a Splash This Spring" campaign and to follow it up with these fantastic awards has been a real boost. We are particularly pleased as they were voted for by the Mums, Dads and kids who use our facilities every day. To achieve two firsts throughout such a large geographical area and amongst some outstanding attractions and facilities is very encouraging."

She continued, "Our facilities have expanded significantly over the past two years with the development of the four large community campuses we operate in, and it is rewarding to know that our standards remain high and our customers are satisfied. I speak for the team throughout our 15 venues and Head Office when I say a huge thanks to everyone who took the time to vote."  

Keeping to the "family friendly" theme LAL have launched their Easter 2013 Campaign and shown an excellent example of why they were awarded the Best Out Of School Activity Provider. With clubs, individual sessions and day camps being held Monday to Friday throughout the two weeks of the Easter Holidays this is their largest Easter Programme to date. Local Perth & Kinross families and visitors will enjoy activities ranging from swimming and football to kayaking and dancing. Children can also learn new skills such as lifeguarding within the extensive programme.