Meet The Member - Sam of Everyone Active, Batchwood
everyone active batchwood
We caught up with Sam, a team member from Everyone Active, to learn more about what their centre offers and how they're involved in the community.
we love having you as member of We Are St Albans! Let’s start with Everyone Active Batchwood —can you tell us a bit about its mission and the meaning behind the name?
We love being a member of We Are St. Albans. Our vision is to be everyone’s first choice for activity. We’re on a mission to get people moving, encouraging at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity, five times a week—keeping Everyone Active!
The Sports and Leisure Management Company is the longest-established leisure contractor in the UK, founded in 1987. What do you think gives the organisation such staying power?
We’re always looking for ways to innovate and add value, leading the way in the leisure industry. This ethos is at the heart of our new YOU+ memberships, built around six pillars of wellness to create a bigger impact on our members’ lives. We’re proud to be pioneers in the wellness space, expanding our reach beyond fitness into holistic wellbeing, to make real improvements to people’s lives. Our team in St Albans really care about what we do, and this approach has even earned us awards for our work in St Albans!
At Everyone Active, we believe our role goes beyond just providing leisure facilities—we’re here to make a meaningful social impact. We’re proud that all the team get involved in the local community - most recently we’ve been sending representatives to local schools’ to inspire the next generation of fitness professionals!
Does Batchwood partner with the community and local council in any other ways?
Absolutely! We work closely with St Albans District Council, having regular, direct contact with them. We’re lucky to collaborate with a council that genuinely cares about leisure facilities and has appointed individuals with a strong background in racket sports and golf.
One key element of this partnership is the Batchwood Forum, which we chair to ensure community voices are heard. It includes representatives from the local community, meaning we don’t just have their support—we actively involve them in key decisions. After all, Batchwood is a facility for the community.
This partnership has enabled us to expand our Community Tennis Programme, which runs for 50 weeks a year and caters to all ages. By employing additional coaching and management staff who are passionate about their work, we’ve reshaped the rackets programme to better serve the community. This has led to increased participation at Batchwood and the introduction of two exciting new racket sports: Pickleball and Padel. At the same time were excited by the young players that the coaching team are developing through the "Pathway to Tarbes" Herts Tennis program at Batchwood, that offers subsidized performance training for under-10 tennis players.
A big part of what we do is rooted in community. Each Everyone Active centre makes pledges to support children, adults, and volunteers in improving and enriching their local communities. For instance, we recently ran a bike amnesty where we received bikes which were then donated to Bikes Without Barriers as part of the Herts Disability Sports Foundation. Our goal? To create inclusive, welcoming spaces and a chance for everyone to connect with their community, where people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds can enjoy physical activity and enhance their wellbeing.
At Batchwood we try to assist each other wherever possible, this kindness extends to our members, one makes the team Kefir another has discussions with us on mindfulness activities such as Yoga, which aides, sleep and recovery; two of our YOU+ pillars - the supporting YOU+ coaching sessions have been a great way to spark conversation between the team and our members.
You recently underwent a big refurbishment and reopened in 2023. What state-of-the-art facilities does Everyone Active Batchwood offer?
Our gym equipment offers immersive workout experiences, syncing with wearable technology to help members track their progress. Or, if you prefer a little entertainment while you exercise, our machines provide access to Netflix, YouTube, and iPlayer, and for recovery, we’ve introduced Therabody massage guns, a luxury our members absolutely love!
Recognising the digital age we live in, we’ve launched Everyone Golf, alongside the Batchwood Golf app, to streamline bookings and improve course communications. For golfers, we now have a brand-new GPS buggy fleet.
We’ve invested heavily in both the centre and the golf course, with even more exciting developments still to come! Plus, our Everyone Active app offers fantastic YOU+ member benefits, including access to Health Hero, which provides private GP appointments within hours via the Symbio App. And let’s not forget our member perks scheme, which gives discounts from 120 hand-picked brands!
How do you cater to people of all fitness levels and ages? Do you have to be a member to join in?
Through understanding our community and the variety of barriers to exercise. For example, anxiety can be a big part of starting a new endeavour, especially in relation to one’s own health. The peaceful woodland setting and friendly team at Batchwood help to navigate this challenge without it becoming overwhelming for those who may find it daunting. Exercise is a crucial part of good long-term mental health. We know that those who have more contact with the team be it an introduction to the gym or attending one of our group exercise classes are more likely to not only retain their membership but use it, and enjoy it, this can lead to new friends and social connections.
We run a variety of activities aimed to broaden the accessibility from beginner tennis social sessions and golf such as our 50’s coffee and coaching golf sessions with our friendly golf pro James Blake who has a wealth of experience from performance coaching to working with juniors who have never played.
We’re also proud to host Abbey View Golf Society at Batchwood. We’ve adapted the course for them, creating 9-hole rounds with additional modified greens and scorecards. They also use our meeting room for social events, further enhancing their experience. The social element at Batchwood is vital to the community.
Our Community and Wellbeing team organise, and plan outreach programmes working with those who are less likely to enter the leisure centres, increasing accessibility for the community. Projects are often funded, others are low in cost, and sessions are often launched due to demand in the area for this type of activity. One such initiative is the inclusive Pickleball sessions for those with Parkinsons, who also receive a free membership. We run other initiatives at Batchwood like ‘Passport to Leisure’ which supports adults with learning disabilities.
All our facilities can be accessed on a pay-as-you-play basis. For gym and exercise classes, our YOU+membership options offer the best value, with discounts available for juniors and concessions. We have classes to cater for all abilities from relaxing Hatha Yoga to up-tempo Body Pump and our instructors make everyone feel welcome. For those who need more guidance working with a personal trainer can be of real benefit.
How easy is it to book a personal trainer at Everyone Active, and what are the benefits?
Booking a PT is now super simple with our dedicated Everyone Active PT App. We offer a discounted intro package for new members and even provide a free PT taster session.
We get it—finding the time to train can be tough. But working with a PT boosts adherence, accountability, and enjoyment, so you get more out of every session and hit your goals faster.
There’s also a strong social aspect to PT sessions. Our experienced team understands the pressures of modern life, including unrealistic body image expectations and the temptation of unhealthy lifestyle choices. Through YOU+ coaching, we go beyond the gym, helping members make sustainable, positive changes in all areas of their lives.
You mentioned supporting ‘Passport to Leisure’ to provide access to facilities for those with physical and mental disabilities. Can you tell us more about this partnership?
‘Passport to Leisure’ do fantastic work! The Everyone Active Communities Team have implemented lots of activity programmes accessible to both children and adults who have a learning and/or physical disability. Currently, we have Pickleball sessions running at Batchwood, and they’ve previously had tennis sessionswith our coaches. Passport to leisure is just one of the many ways Everyone Active makes a difference. We are really excited by the new appointment to the team of Rhys to Community and Wellbeing Manager, who has some exciting projects coming to Batchwood soon.
Everyone Active is committed to reducing running costs and environmental impact. How is Batchwood contributing?
We’re working towards Net-Zero, collaborating with local authorities to create a cleaner, greener environment. One standout example at Batchwood is our investment in LED lighting, which is now on timers and adjusts automatically to meet Sport England/LTA Lux standards—improving gameplay while cutting energy waste.
We also partner with 1Impossible Thing to recycle unwanted sports shoes, helping families who can’t afford proper PE kit. According to the Good Childhood Report 2022, over a 1/4 of parents struggle with this expense, which can negatively impact school life, home life, and self-esteem—especially in today’s social media-driven world.
After a good workout, where’s the best place in St Albans to relax and refuel?
For the ultimate post-workout indulgence, I love ice cream, and we’re lucky to have Darlish in both St Albans and Harpenden. If you’re after something more refined, MUST Wine Bar is a hidden gem next to Dillons at The Kings Arms—a truly fantastic gastropub.
For a memorable occasion, my wife and I hosted our wedding banquet at The Silver Cup in Harpenden, where owners Matthew and Olivia made it an unforgettable experience.
We love what we do at Everyone Active Batchwood, and we can’t wait to welcome even more people through our doors.
See you soon!