Be Active

The Award Winning Be active scheme

We are delighted to announce the new scheme will begin 1st April and continue until 31st March 2012.

Be active has now been running city wide in Birmingham since 1st September 2009. The scheme currently has over 300,000 members from Birmingham, which represents about 1 in 3 of the entire population. If you would like to become a member of Be active you will need a Leisure Card. All you need to do is complete an application form and take it into your local leisure centre, along with two documents which show your name and address.

Be Active Scheme April 2011

The funding for the previous Be active scheme will ceased on the 31st March 2011. This financial year presented Local Authorities and Health Providers with immense challenges in delivering services to the public .Therefore, the level of funding available for Be active for this financial year has been greatly reduced

The Primary Care Trusts negotiated with Birmingham City Council activity hours, these will enable you to continue to access free activities, such as swimming, gym, table tennis, bowls etc. Each Constituency has been given an allocation of activity hours. The amount of activity hours each of the ten Constituencies have received is based on the health deprivation levels in each Constituency.

In 2010/11, Be active provided 2022 hours per week of free activity in leisure centres across Birmingham, providing access to swim, gym and fitness classes. Despite a reduction of 49% in funding compared to the last financial year, there will still be in total over 1615 hours per week offered through the scheme to the people of Birmingham. This is still about 80% of the original offer, and while it inevitably means a reduction overall, the reduction in hours is not as drastic as the reduction in funding, demonstrating value of money to you the citizen.

Over 2,000 Be active members took part in the independent research study undertaken by Birmingham University and we would like to take this opportunity to say thank you! You provided valuable information which has helped us shape the scheme. The most common suggestion for improving Be active was to change the schemes hours and make the times more flexible, which we have listened to and adapted the way the scheme is delivered to you.

What is included?

The new Be active scheme offers a diverse range of activities, including gym, swim, fitness classes. Some centres also offer badminton, table tennis and much more, to see which other activities are on the Be Active scheme in your area please contact your local centre directly or take a look at the attachments at the bottom of the page. We are also in the process of introducing more outside activities in conjunction with Birmingham City Council Parks Service to offer a range of activities within Birmingham’s Parks and open spaces.

The attached documents below show activity by leisure centre, and breakdowns of where you can access Be active activities. If you would like further details of any of the activities then contact your local leisure centre.

All information is correct at time of publishing. Amendments and updates will be made on the first working day of each month.

Be Active video 2010

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q. I’m already a Be active customer, do I need to renew my existing card?
A. No, all current Be active cards will now expire 31/03/2012.

Q. How long will the new scheme continue for?
A. The new scheme will operate from 01/04/2011until 31/03/2012

Q. Why has the scheme changed?
A. The scheme has changed for two reasons, firstly; Local Authorities and Health providers have been presented with immense financial challenges in the coming financial year, which has resulted in a reduction in funding to the scheme. Secondly; we are making the scheme more flexible to meet the needs of the local communities, this was one of the main suggestions made by Be active customers during the Independent study undertaken by Birmingham University.

Q. I’ve looked at the timetable to use the gym at my local leisure centre. Why is it no longer available at the time I used to visit?
A. Take a look at your next nearest leisure centre to see if you attend a gym session at a more convenient time. Or, why not try out one of the new activities on offer such as badminton.

Q. I would like to do more outside activities but cannot see many?
A. Birmingham City Council Parks Service will shortly be providing a range of physical activity opportunities in parks and open spaces. Remember that Birmingham still offers a range of 2km and 5km walks

Q. Can my child still swim in Be active times
A. Yes, children who live in Birmingham aged 15 years and under can swim free of charge during any general swimming session.

Q. Can I still use any leisure centre?
A. Yes, you will also notice on the timetable we now have even more centres providing Be active activities

Q. I would like to join the scheme is this still possible?
A. Yes, just follow the link on this page for details on how to join the scheme.

Q. I cannot provide two proofs of address?
A. Please refer to the eligibility criteria for more information

Q. My friend is eligible for the scheme and I am not as my postcode is not on the list. Why?
A. Some ‘B’ postcodes are outside the Birmingham City boundary, therefore not eligible to join Be active

Q. The Be active gym session at my local leisure centre finishes at 5.00pm. What is the latest I can come into the gym?
A. You will be able to come into the gym up to 5.00pm. However, after the Be active time has finished you will be asked to vacate.

Birmingham City Council Sport & Leisure