Our Impact
Every day, Edinburgh Leisure helps people across the city get active, improve their health and wellbeing, and connect with their communities. Through our venues, programmes, clubs and partnerships, we create opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to enjoy the physical, mental and social benefits of being active.
As a charity, we reinvest every membership, visit and activity back into services that strengthen communities, tackle inequalities and help more people lead healthier, more active lives.
Explore our impact to discover how we’re helping create a healthier, happier and more inclusive Edinburgh.
More People Moving
At Edinburgh Leisure, we believe everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy an active lifestyle. Through our network of leisure centres, gyms, swimming pools, golf courses, climbing facilities, sports pitches and community spaces, we provide thousands of opportunities every day for people to move more and live healthier lives.
Whether it’s a child’s first swimming lesson, a weekly fitness class, grassroots sport or a visit to a local gym, we’re helping build lifelong habits that improve health and wellbeing.
5.7m
visits to Edinburgh Leisure venues (2025/26)
38,383
active members with Edinburgh Leisure
556
Clubs across 30+ sports using our facilities
674
older adults supported with Ageing Well sessions every month
Developing Skills for Life
Physical activity is about more than fitness. Through coaching, volunteering, training and leadership opportunities, Edinburgh Leisure helps people develop valuable life skills, gain recognised qualifications and build confidence for the future.
From young people taking their first steps into coaching to volunteers supporting local clubs and communities, we’re creating pathways that develop future coaches, leaders and role models.
15,111
children, adults and young people on a sports coaching programme
12,000
volunteer hours from over 200 volunteers
7,673
children learned to swim (and 512 adults)
290
junior climbers in coaching – the biggest programme in the UK
69
young people not in education or employment completed sports coaching courses
She started volunteering at 14. Now she teaches here
Meet Eilidh.
Eilidh approached Edinburgh Leisure at Gracemount Leisure Centre through her Duke of Edinburgh Award, looking for experience doing something she already enjoyed.
What began as a volunteering placement quickly turned into something more, as she built skills, gained confidence and progressed into formal training.
Today, she works part-time as a Swim Teacher at Gracemount while completing her final year of school, turning early volunteering into her first steps into employment.
Improving Health and Wellbeing
Being active has the power to transform lives. Across Edinburgh, our programmes help people improve their physical health, strengthen their mental wellbeing and stay connected to their communities.
We work alongside health and community partners to provide targeted programmes that support people living with health conditions, those recovering from illness and older adults looking to maintain strength, confidence and independence.
Physical Health
Supporting people to increase activity levels and improve overall fitness.
Mental Wellbeing
Helping people reduce stress, build confidence and improve resilience through activity.
Social Connection
Creating welcoming places where people can make friends, feel supported and belong.
15,764
people supported to access physical activity across Edinburgh
36,204
visits to Edinburgh Leisure through our Community Access Programme
9415
health and exercise referrals from partners in primary, health and social care
979
people supported through our mental health programme Healthy Active Minds
50
families every week supported by ASN tailored activities
From a walker to school pick-ups
Meet Jennifer.
After a broken back and serious illness, Jennifer was relying on a walker and struggling with everyday movement.
Edinburgh Leisure’s Balanced Life programme helped her rebuild strength step-by-step – from walking support, to independence, to everyday life again.
Today, she’s back doing something she thought she might have lost: picking up her grandchildren from school.
Tackling Poverty and Inequality
Everyone deserves the opportunity to experience the benefits of being active. Through our Active Communities programmes, partnerships and affordability initiatives, we’re helping remove barriers that can prevent people from taking part.
We focus on supporting those most affected by poverty, social exclusion, health inequalities and other challenges, ensuring opportunities are available to those who need them most.
9846
people on low incomes supported to get active through free or subsidised activities
370
young people attending Open All Hours youth work provision every Friday night
675
relocated people supported to get active
644
care experienced children supported
674
older adults supported with Ageing Well sessions every month
Our Impact across Edinburgh
A more active Edinburgh is a healthier, happier and more connected Edinburgh.
Every day, Edinburgh Leisure plays a role in making that vision a reality by providing places to move, opportunities to learn, programmes that improve wellbeing and support for those facing barriers to participation.
Explore our latest Impact Report to discover how, together with our customers, partners, volunteers and supporters, we are helping create a city where more people can be active, healthy and included
Impact Reports
