The Northern Community Leisure Trust is an independent not for profit organisation that has provided leisure services in North Down since 2013, under contract from Ards & North Down Borough Council. This covers services at Bangor Aurora Aquatics and Leisure Centre, Queens Leisure Complex and Bangor Sportsplex and some sports grounds, with the contract currently in place until March 2028. The Council continues to own the facilities and has landlord responsibilities in terms of repairs and maintenance. Leisure services in the old Ards Borough Council area are provided in-house by Council.
The Trust has contracted Serco Leisure Operating Limited to provide the services on our behalf. We are committed to supporting healthier lives, encouraging people to take regular exercise and introduce more physical activity into their daily lives.
Serco is one of the leading outsourcing companies in the UK, with over 50 years’ experience in providing outsourcing services to government, national and international organisations. Serco provides leisure services on behalf of Community Leisure Trusts, Local Authorities, universities, and organisations such as Sport England. Their contracts include four of the National Sports Centres, outdoor activity venues, community leisure centres, gyms, swimming pools, white water courses, tennis courts, golf courses and conference centres.
The Trust’s ultimate goal working with Serco is to get more people, more active, more often. Together we provide affordable access to a wide range of market-leading sports and leisure facilities to support healthier and happier individuals across all segments of society – the places we manage are safe, welcoming spaces for people to enjoy their leisure time in.
The Trust Board
The Northern Community Leisure Trust has an experienced Board of Members who are representative of the North Down community and have a broad range of skills and experience relevant to the business that the Trust engages in. Board members attend formal quarterly meetings, along with frequent informal meetings, to focus on the business in hand and on important items within the leisure industry to determine the direction of travel for the Trust and its ongoing strategy. The Board includes Councillors from the Ards & North Down Borough Council.