interview
JOHN OXLEY W
The MD of Active Nation talks to Kate Cracknell about what it means to be a true campaigning charity
hat’s in a name? For some businesses it may be no more than a label, but for John Oxley –
managing director of Active Nation – his organisation’s name represents a statement of intent.
That much is clear the moment you read the company vision – a bold document that sets out in no uncertain terms a series of ambitious, forward-thinking objectives for the business that range from participation levels, through ambassadorial staff, to involvement in the healthcare agenda. Projecting forward to 2013, the document paints an aspirational picture in which Active Nation “has become the UK’s number one sports and exercise charity” – one that “makes an impact on the lives of more than 10 million people across the UK and is seen as a beacon organisation wholly
committed to its mission: ‘Persuading the nation to be active’.”
It’s certainly an ambitious goal, but speaking to Oxley you quickly realise how willing he is to challenge the norms in a bid to achieve it.
28 Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital The new approach stems very firmly
from the organisation’s transformation, in September 2009, from the “facility operator” Community Leisure Services (CLS) to the “campaigning charity” that is Active Nation. Oxley explains. “Before, although
we had charitable status, really all that meant was that it was cheaper for local authorities to buy our services. “I felt that we, and other trusts,
were simply contractors in different clothing, and that we were missing an opportunity to be so much more than that – to be mission-led. “The whole reason we’re in the
industry is to get people involved in sport and exercise on a broader scale, in the interests of the health of the nation. Leisure centres are only a small part of that, so Active Nation is trying very hard not to be a facility operator. We’re a campaigning charity that also manages facilities. “Ultimately we’re a very genuine, very
passionate registered charity, driven not by the desire to make our services cheaper but by the desire to make a real difference and to have a positive impact on the communities we serve. In fact, three years after penning that mission statement, it’s clear our
may 2011 © cybertrek 2011
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