Presentation by STAG Chief Executive

Presentation by Sencio Chief Executive

Sencio Community Leisure

Mr. Mark Whyman, The Chief Executive of Sencio, was welcomed to the meeting and he gave a presentation about strong and active communities. He circulated to Members a series of graphs showing the performance of Sencio Community Leisure.

He compared the use of sporting facilities in 2008 with 2011 and was pleased that so much was still wetside based.  Swimming had seen a national decline over the period as children were not keeping up the sport as they grew older. There had also been a small decline in the use of all-weather pitches but this may have been because the pitch at Edenbridge was out of use for part of 2011. The use of fitness facilities had grown each year despite the recession and, together with golf, was creating the most income.

Some of the fitness business was picked up from private competitors as customers traded down. Although Sencio could not compete with the quality of facilities of competitors they could focus on creating a high quality visit. Sencio hoped to build loyalty and so employees were measured on the number of interactions they made with customers.  Mr. Whyman said that the organisation was committed to staff training and a good maintenance of buildings.

The Chief Executive of Sencio made it clear that a strong interaction with the community, not just balancing the budget, was important to Sencio. There had been some significant improvements in the number of school visits to the facilities in Sevenoaks. However there was a small fall for the White Oak Centre as a private school had gone into receivership and Edenbridge had suffered as rural schools were finding the cost of travel too great. The Chairman felt it important that the difficulties with travel were highlighted.

Sencio had started a partnership with West Kent Extra. Sencio had also introduced a Youth Membership scheme which allowed the use of adult equipment at any time for a cost of £24 per month.

Two case studies were tabled showing examples of how Sencio facilities were used, as was an article about the golf academy. The academy currently had 90 participants and hoped soon to cater for blind children also.

Members asked how they got customers to try the facilities. Mr. Whyman considered every day to be an open day and considered Sencio an incredibly open organisation. Customers were talked to before they even came to a centre and all inductions took place on a one-to-one basis.

Sencio tried to work with other charities in the community and with the Sevenoaks District Sports Council. He worked very closely with the Community Development team on community and health initiatives. Members were invited to the annual golf charity day with the Parents Consortium, a charitable company which was open to, and provided services for, parents and carers who had a disabled child aged 19 or under in the Dartford, Gravesham or Swanleys areas. The charity day would take place on 7 September 2012 at Lullingstone Golf Course.

The meeting thanked Mr. Whyman for an interesting presentation. The Chairman hoped Members would remind others how excellent the facilities were.

The STAG

Cllr. Eyre spoke to the Committee as the General Manager of the STAG Community Arts Centre.

Volunteers had always been central to the success of the STAG because of their knowledge and effort. Some volunteers had come long distances and some had helped for many years. In some cases the opportunity to be a volunteer had given individuals the confidence to get paid employment and in others it provided useful experience. Feedback forms were used to ensure the views of volunteers were properly taken into account.

The STAG tried to provide services to the disparate elements of the community. A Mother and Baby Film Club had been set up to cater for a group which was excluded from some cinemas. The film would be played more quietly, with the lights left on and prams  allowed in to the theatre. The Classic Film Club had initially been aimed at older age groups but, following comments, further showings were added on Tuesday evenings for those still in employment. Regrettably too few presently attended the Mother and Baby and the Classic Film Club but those who did enjoyed it greatly.

Many other groups were worked with and the largest of these was the amateur dramatic community. The STAG took part in youth outreach together with groups such as the Hextable Performing Arts School and the Sevenoaks Youth Theatre. Taking part and performing in front of 450 people helped children to build confidence and develop. That evening the Hextable Performing Arts School had been performing with High Firs Primary School, Horton Kirby Primary School, Hextable Primary School, Hextable Performing Arts Secondary School, Dartford Boys Grammar School and Dartford Girls Grammar School taking part. As a result of a consultation the STAG hoped a confidential room would soon be added next to the Youth Café so that young people involved with the STAG could go there for advice.

All Members were invited to a performance of A Midsummer’s Night Dream performed by the Sevenoaks Youth Theatre on 3 to 4 July 2012.The General Manager of the STAG commended the comedy nights which had been rated as the fourth best comedy centre in Britain by the Guardian newspaper.

The STAG found it difficult to target advertising as customers seldom provided their ages. Some individual events had attracted audiences from a wide geographical area but he believed that by remaining competitive in price the STAG could draw larger crowds and resist the competition faced by larger and better known venues.

The Committee thanked the General Manager for his presentation and answering questions.

District Council Input

The Head of Community Development summarised some of the ways Sevenoaks District Council promoted and supported strong and active communities. Among others this included direct grants made annually and through the Big Community Fund as well as those made indirectly through the Sevenoaks District Sports Council or the Sevenoaks District Arts Council. The Council was also involved in Partnerships and Communities Together (PACTs), which enabled local people to identify and prioritise action on local community safety issues.  Environmental visual audits enabled local people to identify improvements to their community. Speed Watch enabled local people to work together to reduce speed through their villages. Health Walks involved trained local people leading walks in their community, Up and Running was a mental health initiative for local people. The Council also involved local people through Community Consultation days, Parish Plans, Family Fun Days (now run by the parish councils) and business volunteering. The Chairman commended the amount which was achieved with a relatively small budget.