A Kent leisure charity will be demerging from Fusion Lifestyle as part of the major national leisure charity’s closure.
Fusion Lifestyle’s administrators confirmed in a report this week that Active Life, of which it is a parent organisation, will be demerging from the national organisation by the end of this month following a decision by its trustees.
The joint administrators, Nadeem Sweiss and Adam Stephens of S&W Partners, added that: “Active Life has been in consultation with Canterbury council, who have agreed for Active Life to continue as a standalone charity separate from the charity.
“Therefore, steps are now being taken for the transfer of the charity's membership of Active Life to the existing trustees of Active Life, so that it is a standalone charity.”
Until the completion of the demerger, Fusion Lifestyle will be providing administrative support such as payroll functions and paying suppliers until the demerger has been completed.
Additionally, Active Life has provided the joint administrators with an indemnity in the form of a bond of £106,000 in the event there are any chargebacks under the direct debit guarantee scheme.
According to its most recently filed accounts for 2022, Active Life reported a total annual income of £3.79m, against a total annual expenditure of £4.03m.
However, the charity’s accounts for the past two financial years are overdue.
Active Life’s 2022 accounts showed that it employed an average monthly number of 250 people in total, of whom 29 were full-time and 221 part-time.
Active Life to become ‘standalone charity’
Fusion Lifestyle, which operated 20 leisure centres and swimming pools nationwide, entered administration in April this year due to “sustained financial pressure”.
The charity said at the time that it had not been able to identify a viable pathway that would ensure its long term financial stability, despite efforts to restructure and secure investment.
According to the administrators report, Fusion Lifestyle had around 1,100 staff members when it entered administration, with many transferring to local authorities taking over the charity’s services.
On 30 April, 13 staff were made redundant following the closure of Golden Lane, a leisure centre in London previously operated by Fusion Lifestyle.
Active Life has been approached for comment.
