Connect with us

Sports

BH Live kickstarts Southampton investment programme

Published

on

By Kath Hudson    05 Aug 2026

BH Live has relaunched three refurbished local authority gyms across Southampton

The upgrades were delivered in partnership with equipment provider Pulse Fitness

Enhancements include expanded free weight spaces, functional fitness zones, and modern redecorations

The facilities upgraded were Bitterne Leisure Centre, Chamberlayne Leisure Centre, and The Quays

Advertisement

BH Live has relaunched three gyms that it runs on behalf of Southampton City Council, following refurbishments to create modern training environments.

The upgrades include new cardio and strength equipment, alongside expanded free weights and stretching areas. Dedicated functional fitness zones have also been added, while the gyms have been fully redecorated with feature lighting and contemporary finishes. The new cardio equipment includes integrated digital screens, wireless phone charging and access to streaming services. 

All three sites continue to offer Les Mills classes.

Advertisement

The three centres to receive an upgrade are Bitterne Leisure Centre, Chamberlayne Leisure Centre and The Quays – one of only four High Performance Diving Centres in the UK. Together, the sites provide a mix of elite sport, family leisure and community fitness and form part of Southampton City Council’s wider strategy to modernise leisure facilities, encourage more residents to become physically active and improve community wellbeing.

The refurbishment programme follows BH Live’s appointment as Southampton City Council’s leisure operator in September 2025, after the charity was selected through a competitive tender process. The contract had previously been managed by Places Leisure, with the centres operated by Active Nation until the charity withdrew in 2025 following financial difficulties. Other organisations bidding for the new contract included Testlands, Leisure Focus Trust, Sports and Leisure Management Ltd and Wealden Leisure Ltd.

The investment has been delivered through the partnership between BH Live and Southampton City Council, although neither organisation has disclosed the value of the refurbishment programme or the breakdown of funding.

Rob Cunningham, director of leisure and business development at BH Live, said: “As a charity and social enterprise, our focus is always on improving the health and wellbeing of the communities we serve.

Advertisement

“Thanks to our partnership with Southampton City Council, we’ve been able to create modern, welcoming and inclusive fitness spaces that will support people of all ages and abilities to be more active and achieve their health and wellbeing goals.

“Feedback from members and customers who have already visited has been incredibly positive, and we’re excited to encourage more people to enjoy these fantastic new facilities.”

The gym upgrades form part of a wider programme of investment across Southampton’s leisure estate. BH Live also operates the Outdoor Sports Centre and manages the city’s sports pitch bookings, while a major redevelopment of the Outdoor Sports Centre is currently underway and scheduled for completion in 2027.

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Sports

Football gossip: Reijnders, Balogun, Vinicius Jr, Savinho, Gakpo, Neto, Chavarria

Published

on

Nottingham Forest eye Tijjani Reijnders, Tottenham want Savinho and Nicolas Jackson, Real Madrid resume Vinicius Jr contract talks and Chelsea close in on Pep Chavarria.

Manchester City‘s Netherlands midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, 28, has emerged as a £55m target for Nottingham Forest. (Mail, external)

United States striker Folarin Balogun, 25, has been offered to Tottenham via intermediaries, with the former Arsenal forward’s future at Monaco uncertain. (Sun, external)

Spurs are in contact with Manchester City about Brazil winger Savinho, 22, while they are also interested in Liverpool and Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo, 27, and Eintracht Frankfurt’s French attacking midfielder Jean-Matteo Bahoya, 21. (Athletic – subscription required, external)

Advertisement

If Savinho decides to join Tottenham, Manchester City will turn to Chelsea and Portugal winger Pedro Neto and have already made contact with the 26-year-old’s camp over a possible move. (Fabrizio Romano, external)

Real Madrid are set to resume contract talks with Vinicius Jr’s representatives this week but the club are not prepared to increase their most recent offer to the 26-year-old Brazil winger, who is linked with Arsenal. (ESPN, external)

Chelsea are close to finalising a deal with Rayo Vallecano for 28-year-old Spanish left-back Pep Chavarria, who has agreed personal terms with the Premier League side. (Athletic – subscription required, external)

Tottenham are interested in Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson but are yet to make a formal approach for the 25-year-old Senegal international, who is valued at £65m by the Blues. (Mail, external)

Advertisement

Chelsea are eyeing a move for 26-year-old Porto and Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa, who was previously linked with Manchester United and has a 60m euro (£51m) release clause. (Mirror, external)

Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

What fee is Arsenal paying to sign Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle? Journalist provides update after reported agreement

Published

on

Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on the finances involved as Arsenal are set to complete the signing of Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United. The protracted transfer saga of the Brazil is set to come to an end after an agreement was reached between both clubs.

According to a post on X, the transfer expert revealed that Arsenal will pay £75 million for the 28-year-old midfielder. Personal terms are not expected to be a problem as an agreement has already been reached, and the midfielder will now complete his move to the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal have targeted Newcastle United captain Guimaraes for much of the summer, even sanctioning the sale of Christian Norgaard to create room for the Brazilian in their squad. Mikel Arteta‘s side will now get their man, with a number of other teams having also been credited with interest.

Advertisement

Bruno Guimaraes only returned to pre-season training with Newcastle this week at La Manga in Spain, having enjoyed an extended break following the FIFA World Cup. He was one of the best midfielders at the tournament, providing four assists in five appearances for the Seleçao as they reached the Round of 16.

Guimaraes has been a long-time target for Arsenal, with the Gunners having watched him closely since before he joined Newcastle in 2022 from Olympique Lyon. He will be a quality addition to Arteta’s squad as they look to build on their success from the 2025-26 season.

Arsenal star targeted by Premier League rivals amid Guimaraes pursuit: Reports

Arsenal youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly is a target for Manchester United this summer, as per reports. The versatile teenager was forced to watch on from the sidelines for much of the 2025-26 season, following a breakout 2024-25 campaign.

According to The Independent, Manchester United are considering a move for the youngster to fill two key positions in their squad this summer. The Red Devils have been linked with a midfielder and a left-back, and Lewis-Skelly has featured prominently in both positions for his boyhood club.

Advertisement

Myles Lewis-Skelly signed a contract until 2030 last summer and only played his way into Mikel Arteta’s plans in the closing weeks of the campaign, featuring in midfield. The imminent arrival of Bruno Guimaraes, however, complicates matters for the 19-year-old, and may lead him to consider a move away from the Emirates. He played for the Gunners in their first pre-season game last week, a 4-1 win over Spanish outfit Girona.