GLL’s position as sport and leisure’s leading, charitable social enterprise is built upon a solid foundation of services we provide to partners, key stakeholders and customers.
GLL helps build active and sustainable communities through our partnerships. We work to a social agenda and are committed to providing accessible community facilities for all. We believe in offering value for money.
Our services are wide-ranging and offer current and potential partners a range of solutions and options for enhanced service-delivery, increased value for money and tangible added value.
We’ve been operating leisure centres since 1993 and it’s probably what we’re best-known for. Our key services are leisure, libraries and archives, children's centres, arts and events, health, education and sports development.
LEISURE
We’re passionate about making community services and spaces better for everyone. And we’re known for providing quality leisure and fitness facilities at affordable prices.
GLL manages over 240 leisure centres in partnership with more than 50 local councils and sporting bodies. In all the areas we operate in, we encourage people to improve their health and happiness, by leading an active lifestyle.
The Covid-19 pandemic represented the health challenge of a generation. It had a hugely detrimental impact on the physical and mental health of the UK’s population and participation levels fell across all the activities and services delivered by GLL.
Re-establishing our participation and visitor numbers following the pandemic was a key target for 2022. The pandemic caused two years of business interruption in 2020 and 2021 with multiple closures and restrictions being placed on the business. At the start of 2022 some of these restrictions still existed, but despite this, GLL was able to fully recover leisure centre participation and exceed pre Covid-19 levels from 2019.
We’ve grown from strength-to-strength, working in partnership with local authorities, public agencies, sporting organisations and local communities across the UK.
LIBRARIES
Libraries are places for everyone to use and enjoy. That’s why we want to provide welcoming library buildings – and ensure they stay at the heart of the community.
Many people love to read: in our recent user survey, 83% of respondents said that access to books was the best thing about their visit to the library. And libraries do lots more: offer free access to PCs, and to broadband and Wi-Fi, provide activities for children and for older people – and offer space for study, space for people to stay warm in winter, and cool in the heat of summer.
During 2022, GLL library visitor numbers achieved 66% of pre Covid-19 pandemic performance. This is above average for library services across the country, and rose month on month throughout the year. Greenwich Libraries received more visits per 1,000 population than any other library service in the country (CIPFA Library Statistics 2021/2).
CHILDREN'S CENTRES
We're proud to work in partnership with the Royal Borough of Greenwich Council to operate 15 Children's Centres.
We believe in delivering high quality child care, with staff that are dedicated to providing an environment for each child to be healthy, safe and secure, to enjoy and achieve, to make a positive contribution to society and achieve economic well being.