Case study – Karl Paterson MCIMSPA – Making waves in the community

Leisure centre manager Karl Paterson reveals what professional recognition through CIMSPA means to him and talks about how his engagement with the community is helping to make sport and exercise accessible for all.

A life-long passion

Beginning his career in the leisure industry over 30 years ago, Karl started out as a lifeguard, working on the beaches of South Wales during the summer months and at pools in the winter. After progressing into roles as a swimming teacher, then a fitness instructor, he now brings his passion, wealth of sector knowledge and experience to his current managerial role at Halo Leisure’s Ynysawdre Swimming Pool.

Karl talks about his love for the leisure environment and how he aims to make a difference:

“It’s all about creating communities and experiences – I really like the way leisure centres have evolved to become hubs for the local community.”

More than a leisure centre

Compared to neighbouring leisure providers who offer only a few different activities, the Bridgend site offers a much wider range. Karl adds “I’ll always find a way to make something work”. From Zumba and badminton classes in the dark for body conscious teens to mermaid tail swimming lessons, Karl is open minded and up to a challenge:

“I won’t say no to anything. This industry is about providing a service.

“Over the years, I’ve tried to engage with the harder-to-reach demographics of the public, and the centre allows an easy avenue to support these people.”

Over time, the activities at Halo Leisure Centre have broadened to become more inclusive, with alternative offerings now taking place, such as Aquanatal classes. Activities like this have become more than just a weekly hour of exercise for pregnant women in the pool. Through Karl’s help, the class has developed a partnership with the NHS to offer a weight management programme for eligible prenatal women, with a support plan which aims to enable a better delivery experience. Attendees to the class also have access to time with a midwife outside of the regular routine appointments, where they can ask advice or discuss concerns.

Wellbeing at its heart

The centre goes beyond a focus on physical health, as Karl highlights how important being able to host a variety of support groups and making an impact on mental health is to him:

“Wellbeing is more prominent now. By giving people access to opportunities and groups such as those we provide helps to fight against social isolation, creates support networks and is a safe space for people to relax and talk about certain challenges they may face.”

Their ‘Lads & Dads’ group is a prime example of this; hosted at the centre, this monthly support group allows a non-clinical safe space for 15–20 men to chat through physical and emotional struggles they may be facing. Karl explains how they use NHS bed days as a good measurement of making a difference:

“The cost of a bed day in the NHS is £500, and if an individual was to self-harm and go into ICU it’s £1000. If any of these individuals are potentially having thoughts of self-harm or worse, and this intervention has helped them, we are relieving some of the strain on the NHS. The litmus test of the individual is if they’re more confident, more outgoing.”

CIMSPA: Helping you to grow

With the help of his CIMSPA membership, Karl has grown alongside the leisure industry:

“Having CIMSPA membership gives you that reassurance that you have the structure for professional development; I have a calendar schedule where I’ll log on every two weeks and complete an element of CPD.”

During his dedicated time to his continued professional development (CPD), Karl covers topics like wellbeing, management coaching, communication and non-judgmental bias, and joins the CIMSPA monthly member exclusive webinars. It has allowed him to adapt his style of management to support diversity in the workplace, enabling him to tailor support to individual members of staff. As a company, Halo Leisure also encourages colleagues to join CIMSPA and keep up their professional development, with a large emphasis on their dry-side practical programme.

“I’ve always felt it important to connect with a professional body so that you’ve got support and the most up-to-date information. It is best practice, and I believe it should be done across the industry. CIMSPA membership allows you to showcase and evidence your understanding. Using my postnominal letters quickly demonstrates to others that I’m affiliated with the professional body for the workforce in my sector, which puts me in a better position when talking with peers.”

Accessible activity for all

As an individual working in an ever-evolving sector, Karl has worked hard within the community to ensure that the centre is keeping up with progress on inclusivity. The centre operates a means-tested benefit linking to the cost of membership. The local council supports this in recognition of the numerous benefits of physical activity to ensure that their facilities are as accessible as possible. Living so close to the water in South Wales, one of the crucial services he also aims to provide is more accessible swimming lessons for all: “Swimming lessons are a life lesson, it’s not just for those who can afford it, it’s something that everybody needs to have access to.”

The centre operates a ‘golden ticket’ system for financially disadvantaged children unable to access swimming lessons. Through it, they receive six months’ worth of swimming lessons for free. In addition to this, they have a swimming programme for children with autism which runs alongside the regular swimming lesson schedule. Karl explains more: “Statistics have shown that children diagnosed with autism are significantly more likely to drown, as they cannot recognise the dangers of water in the same way.”

These adapted sessions are run by specially trained swimming teachers to support children with autism from as young as four years old. During the classes, there is no public access to allow a more relaxed environment, and it is run on a small group basis. These sessions have taken children who have had no previous experience with water, or have been terrified to get into the water, to being able to swim unaided.

The abundance of activity that Karl has put into shaping his career is a brilliant example of how sport and physical activity professionals are ‘more than’ just their job role. CIMSPA aims to inspire and support those working in the sector in continuing their professional development, providing CPD resources for members as well as professional status and recognition. This forms one of the key elements of our 2024 strategy, Releasing the Power of Our Profession.