Speaking at the awards ceremony for the third annual Members’ Choice Health Club Awards during Leisure Industry Week in Birmingham this week, Liz Terry, Editorial Director of Health Club Management magazine said there are too many ‘dreadful’ managers running the UK’s health clubs.

Terry said industry leaders must make radical changes to the way managers are trained and the career development available to them if the industry is to prosper and achieve its true potential.

“Health and fitness, wellness and sport will become key industries of the future globally,” she said. “The opportunities to engage people with exercise and wellbeing are huge and exciting and one of the only things that will hold us back is bad management.

“It isn’t always the managers’ fault – in some cases the companies which employ them have over-promoted them to save money or failed to train them and this has to stop,” she said. “As an industry, we need to set clear pathways for managers who trust us with their careers. We must invest in them, develop them and pay them fairly. It isn’t good enough just to promote the most willing gym instructor – management is a discipline to be valued and nurtured.”

The Members’ Choice Health Club Awards are presented in partnership with Health Club Management and are the only industry awards entirely voted for by the members of health clubs. The awards’ aim is to celebrate excellence.

“You’re among the cream of the managers in this industry,” Terry told the 320 assembled guests at the black tie event, which was hosted by the National Motorcycle Museum. “Your customers have told you that themselves – being shortlisted for this award is proof you’re doing loads of things right. Congratulations”

The full list of winners:

INDIVIDUAL CATEGORY (PEOPLE AWARDS)

Highly commended Katrina Pratt, fitness consultant, Aberdeen Sports Village

Nedj Suleyman, personal trainer, Archway Leisure Centre Steve Macis, personal trainer, Xercise4Less Wakefield

Julie Sargeant, fitness consultant & personal trainer, One Leisure St Neots Liz Velji, GP referral specialist, The Armoury Jubilee Trust Hampstead

REGIONAL CATEGORIES

SCOTLAND

BUDGET

Fit4less Dundee – GOLD Fit4less Perth – SILVER

Fit4less Dundee Douglas – BRONZE

MID-MARKET énergie Fitness For Women Airdrie – GOLD

énergie Fitness For Women Linlithgow – SILVER énergie Fitness For Women East Kilbride – BRONZE

PREMIUM

LivingWell Edinburgh Airport – GOLD Bowfield Hotel & Country Club – SILVER

Westerwood Hotel QHotels – BRONZE

NORTHERN IRELAND

BUDGET Fit4less Lisburn – GOLD

PREMIUM

LivingWell Templepatrick – GOLD

NORTH WEST

BUDGET Xercise4Less Wigan – GOLD

Fit4less Stockport – SILVER Xercise4Less Bolton – BRONZE

MID-MARKET

Pendle Wavelengths & Inside Spa – GOLD Metro Fitness Stockport – SILVER

énergie Fitness Wilmslow – BRONZE

PREMIUM The Midland QHotels – GOLD

Thornton Hall Country Health Club – SILVER Spa Naturel Fitness Norton Grange – BRONZE

NORTH EAST

BUDGET Fit4less Tynemouth – GOLD

Fit4less Hartlepool – SILVER Xercise4Less Stockton-on-Tees – BRONZE

MID-MARKET

énergie Fitness For Women Morpeth – GOLD

PREMIUM LivingWell Newcastle Gateshead – GOLD

YORKSHIRE & THE HUMBER

BUDGET

Xercise4Less Doncaster – GOLD Xercise4Less Leeds – SILVER

Xercise4Less Wakefield – BRONZE

MID-MARKET Bircotes Leisure Centre – GOLD

Fitness Flex Doncaster – SILVER Fitness Unlimited - Don Valley Stadium – BRONZE

PREMIUM

Crown Spa – GOLD LivingWell Sheffield – SILVER

WALES

BUDGET

Fitness4Less Newport – GOLD

PREMIUM Spa Naturel Fitness Cardiff – GOLD

LivingWell Newport – SILVER

WEST MIDLANDS

BUDGET Fit4less Redditch – GOLD

Fitness4Less Birmingham – SILVER

MID-MARKET Wednesbury Leisure Centre – GOLD

Ryland Centre – SILVER Tipton Sports Academy – BRONZE

PREMIUM

Chesford Grange QHotels – GOLD St George's Park Health Club – SILVER

Spa Naturel Fitness Brandon Hall – BRONZE

EAST MIDLANDS

BUDGET Fitness4Less Northampton – GOLD

MID-MARKET

énergie Fitness For Women Long Eaton – GOLD énergie Fitness For Women Arnold – SILVER

Everyone Active West Lindsey Leisure Centre – BRONZE

PREMIUM The Nottingham Belfry QHotels – GOLD

LivingWell Leicester – SILVER Nuffield Health Nottingham – BRONZE

EAST OF ENGLAND

MID-MARKET

Everyone Active Mid Suffolk Leisure Centre – GOLD Everybody Health & Fitness – SILVER

Everyone Active Stradbroke Swim & Fitness Centre – BRONZE

PREMIUM LivingWell Cambridge – GOLD

SOUTH WEST

BUDGET

Fitness4Less Bristol – GOLD

MID-MARKET Everyone Active Kingsdown Sport Centre – GOLD

Everyone Active Blandford Leisure Centre – SILVER Everyone Active Henbury Leisure Centre – BRONZE

SOUTHERN

BUDGET

Fitness4Less Chesham – GOLD Fitness4Less Cheltenham – SILVER

MID-MARKET

énergie Fitness For Women Bicester – GOLD énergie Fitness Andover – SILVER

Everyone Active Stratford Park Leisure Centre – BRONZE

PREMIUM Pulse 8 – GOLD

Nirvana Wellness Suite – SILVER LivingWell Milton Keynes – BRONZE

LONDON

BUDGET

Fit4less Kilburn – GOLD Fitness4Less Southwark – SILVER

Fit4less Caspian Wharf – BRONZE

MID-MARKET énergie Fitness Northwick Park – GOLD

énergie Fitness For Women North Finchley – SILVER Archway Leisure Centre - Aquaterra – BRONZE

PREMIUM

LivingWell London Docklands – GOLD LivingWell London Wembley – SILVER

Dolphin Fitness – BRONZE

SOUTH EAST – Essex, Hertfordshire, Middlesex

BUDGET Fitness4Less Watford – GOLD

Fitness4Less Southend – SILVER Everyone Active Eversley Leisure Centre – BRONZE

MID-MARKET

Everyone Active Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre – GOLD énergie Fitness For Women St Albans – SILVER

Everyone Active Hartham Leisure Centre – BRONZE

PREMIUM LivingWell Watford – GOLD

LivingWell Stansted – SILVER

SOUTH EAST - Kent, Surrey, Sussex

BUDGET Fit4less Maidstone – GOLD

Fitness4Less Sutton – SILVER Everyone Active Phoenix Leisure Centre – BRONZE

MID-MARKET

Everyone Active David Weir Leisure Centre – GOLD Everyone Active Spelthorne Leisure Centre – SILVER

Everyone Active Cheam Leisure Centre – BRONZE

PREMIUM LivingWell Maidstone – GOLD

LivingWell Dartford – SILVER Ashford International QHotels – BRONZE

NATIONAL CATEGORIES

BEST BUDGET CHAIN (5+ clubs)

Fitness4Less – GOLD Fit4less – SILVER

Xercise4Less – BRONZE

BEST SMALL CHAIN (3–9 clubs) Sandwell Leisure Trust – GOLD

Xercise4Less – SILVER YMCA London South West – BRONZE

BEST MEDIUM CHAIN (10–30 clubs)

Fitness4Less – GOLD Fit4less – SILVER

QHotels – BRONZE

BEST LARGE CHAIN (30+ clubs) Everyone Active – GOLD

LivingWell – SILVER énergie Fitness for Women – BRONZE

GRAND PRIX CATEGORIES

Best Budget Club in the UK

Fitness4Less Chesham – GOLD

Fitness4Less Bristol – SILVER

Fitness4Less Cheltenham – BRONZE

Best Mid-Market Club in the UK énergie Fitness For Women Long Eaton – GOLD

énergie Fitness For Women Arnold – SILVER

énergie Fitness For Women Airdrie – BRONZE

Best Premium Club in the UK

Crown Spa – GOLD

Chesford Grange QHotels – SILVER

Pulse 8 – BRONZE