Serco Leisure has won Water Leisure Operator of the Year at the UK Pool & Spa Awards, the fifth time they have achieved this accolade in the past six years.

The awards ceremony took place at the National Conference Centre in Birmingham, as aquatics professionals from across the country came to celebrate the industry at an event which has been running since 2010.

In the Water Leisure Venue of the Year category, a Serco Leisure-managed facility - Mansfield’s Water Meadows Leisure Complex - came runners-up, and were awarded a Gold Standard Certificate.

Simon Lane, Serco Leisure’s Managing Director for said: “Well done to our aquatics teams on helping us once again be crowned Water Leisure Operator of the Year. We are very proud of our aquatics offering across Serco Leisure, and this award is testament to an incredible 12 months of growth for our swimming centres.

“I would like to congratulate our Water Meadows team who just missed out on top spot. The centre has benefited from a major refurb this year, which has helped it become a genuine family day out destination in the region.”

Waterland Media have been staging this event for over 10 years, but 2023’s was the largest one yet.

“This is the fifth title for Serco Leisure in the UK Pool & Spa Awards as a quality provider that continues to deliver vital services within challenging environments and strict budget boundaries,” commented Christina Connor, Managing Director of Waterland Media.

“This was our biggest event yet, with more entrants, more people voting online for their favourites, and more people in attendance for the presentation evening than ever before,” she continued.

She added: “Setting new records year on year, the public, judges and jury continue to be impressed by the passion, pride and enthusiasm the Serco Leisure team brings to its aquatics services.”

Andrew Taylor, Serco Leisure’s National Aquatics & Dryside Manager, who attended the event, said: “I’d like to thank Christina and the team at Waterland Media for staging such a well-organised and fun evening.

“The event gave us a chance to reflect on what has been a tremendous year for Serco Leisure and our swimming centres, whose success has been built on a foundation of high standards of customer service and the ability to adapt quickly in a changing marketplace. I couldn’t be prouder!”

Among the facilities it operates, Serco Leisure has 26 which feature swimming pools and aquatics attractions.

Serco Leisure is the current operator at Bisham Abbey and Lilleshall National Sports Centres, and since 2018, in partnership with More Leisure Community Trust, they have managed the iconic Stoke Mandeville Stadium on behalf of national charity for wheelchair sport, WheelPower.