Published: Thursday, 1st October 2026
Borough council leisure centres in West Norfolk have achieved a top rating of Very Good in the newly-refreshed Quest for Facilities quality framework.
This is Sport England's recommended continuous improvement programme for leisure services.
Alive West Norfolk, the borough council’s leisure and cultural service, runs four centres across the borough: Lynnsport and St James’ Pool in King’s Lynn, Downham Leisure in Downham Market, and The Oasis in Hunstanton.
Quest for Facilities is the leisure sector's leading quality assessment scheme, providing independent, evidence-based evaluations of facility performance. The assessments included mystery visits, a one-day inspection by an independent assessor and detailed reviews of customer experience, operational standards, staff development, health and safety, community engagement and continuous improvement.
All participating Alive sites achieved the Very Good rating, demonstrating consistently high standards across the organisation's leisure facilities.
The assessment recognised strengths in areas including customer service, staff development, inclusive programmes, operational management and the ongoing commitment to improving services for local communities. It also highlighted the work being done to ensure facilities remain welcoming, safe and accessible for people of all ages and abilities.
The Quest scheme is managed by Right Directions (Management) Ltd in partnership with 4Global under contract with Sport England. This scheme has been managed by Right Directions (Management) Ltd since 2010, under contract with Sport England.
Councillor Simon Ring, Deputy Council Leader, said: “This is a fantastic achievement and a well-deserved recognition of the consistently high standards across our leisure centres. It highlights the great work taking place every day to provide high-quality leisure services that make a real difference to communities across West Norfolk.
“These results demonstrate our ongoing commitment to creating welcoming, safe and accessible facilities that seek to help people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds lead active and healthy lives. I would like to thank all our centre staff for their continued hard work and commitment, which have been central to this success.”
Siobhan Cleeve, the borough council’s Interim Assistant Director of Leisure and Culture, added: "Achieving the Very Good Quest rating across our leisure service is a great result and reflects the commitment and hard work of our teams. Quest is a nationally recognised benchmark, so this is a real endorsement of the high standards our staff deliver day in, day out. We're really proud of this achievement and would like to thank all of our colleagues who have played a part in making it happen."
Adding to the success, Alive has also been awarded The Active Standard, a nationally recognised certification developed by ukactive, the UK’s trade body for fitness and leisure, that enables leisure operators to demonstrate the safety and quality of their facilities.
Together, the Quest results and The Active Standard certification provide independent recognition of the quality, safety and professionalism delivered across Alive's sites. They reinforce Alive's commitment to providing excellent customer experiences and continually improving services that help local communities lead active, healthy lives.