Active Centres

Omni have successfully launched the new Active Centres website.

Active Centres is owned and managed by Circadian Trust, who are an independent, charitable company operating in partnership with South Gloucestershire Council and delivering and managing a range of leisure facilities.

'South Gloucestershire Leisure Centres' (SGL), as they were previously named, came to Omni for their original website almost 7x years ago now. This site was one of our first and ran on a stable platform with no bugs or issues for the full duration, which we were very proud of, but it was outdated and needed a re-design and additional functionality to bring it into the modern age. 

Over recent years its regular unique visitor stats have risen from 10,000 per month to an average of 32,000 per month 

Before re-building the site, we took SGL through a re-branding and visioning process, which took their core company vision and mission from three pages of solid text to just three words of Mission, 'Inspiring Active Lifestyles' and two words of vision, 'Giving More'. Out of this process came a naming workshop and Circadian Trust was born. 'Circadian' meaning the 24 hour rhythm of all living things.

Throughout the development of the new Active Centres website we always kept the brand values at heart and tried to ensure that we were always 'Giving More' back to their customers and in doing so, inspiring Active Lifestyles.

Features and functions include: 

1. The site has been built utilising Adaptive Layouts, which mean rather than a user on a mobile device having to zoom in and out to navigate, the site re-organises itself to cope with the change in format and size. This certainly revealed some challenges and proves that when building a site in this way, the mobile should actually be considered above all else. It is clear when studying Google Analytics that their user base were using mobile devices to access the site more and more, so it was an easy decision to include this functionality.
2. We also made the decision to change the Interactive Pool timetable from a bespoke Flash widget, that needed building and updating every time a new timetable was launched. We chose to use Splash Path, which is gaining momentum around the UK for giving users the ability to log in and socialise with other swimmers if they choose, make notes and comment about their experience and set themselves some fitness challenges and goals. 
3. We have given the user the ability to set their local centre thought the site so that once set, certain areas of the site will automatically display and filter by that Leisure centre by storing a cookie on the computer. 
4. We introduced a vibrant and usable mega menu that unlike standard drop downs from top nav, does just disappear when your mouse slightly moves away. It gives the user access to exactly where they want to go on the site in only 1 click and once the user becomes used to it we have seen that they then stick to it as the core form of navigation.
5. We have also built the site to allow the marketing department at Active Centres to really control the featured links and promotions throughout the site. From social network featured links, to latest deals and offers.
6. We introduced a live search feature and a footer A-Z of activities, which again gives users access to information they want in the shortest possible joinery time. 

It's certainly a fascinating website to analyse the Google Analytics data. If you filter all visits by a few years you can see a steady increase but you also have a perfect yearly step pattern of the lazy person dropping off during December as the holiday and eating season begins, right through to the guilty, 'must get fit after Christmas' boom traffic in early January. Very interesting psychology.

This website is just the start of our work with Circadian Trust. We are currently working through the applications of the refreshed Active brand and sub brands and will start to bring some consistency and quality of finish to all of their supporting marketing materials and signage. 

We are really proud of this site and it has certainly been a journey. I would like to take this opportunity to send my best wishes and thoughts to the family of James Clifford, who was the Marketing Manager at Circadian Trust for many years and who sadly passed away far too young half way through the project. He was a great guy and dedicated to the business and someone I worked with very closely for a long time. It's incredibly sad that he did not get to see its launch. I hope it achieves everything he was looking for.

Omni are currently working with Active Centres on their digital strategy, brochure suite and interior and exterior signage. 

Visit the Active Website.