New CEO of Fife leisure trust faces challenge of life after lockdown

Fife Sports & Leisure Trust has appointed a new chief executive.

Emma Walker moves into the hot seat as the charitable trust begins the challenging task of bringing its region-wide facilities back out of lockdown.

All centres, gyms and swimming pools have been closed since lockdown began in March, but plans are now well advanced to re-open the doors once the Scottish Government gives the green light.

Emma, who takes over from Ed Watson, brings a wealth of experience in the sports and leisure industry to the organisation.

She was previously with Edinburgh Leisure and most recently, North Lanarkshire Leisure.

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Originally from Northern Ireland, Emma is a black belt in Judo and competed at international level, representing her country three times at the Commonwealth Games.

She said: “I have been an admirer of the work delivered by Fife Sports and Leisure Trust for some time so when the position came up, I was very keen to bring my experience to the organisation and to build on the great services and programmes it provides for the local community.”

Her priority will be getting the trust’s network of facilities up and running after lockdown had a major impact on its revenues.

The ‘new normal’ will also include safety measures, social distancing and restrictions on numbers in buildings.

She said: ““We are facing the financial consequences of lockdown and the impact it will inevitably have on the trust.

“I will be in discussions with our partner, Fife Council, to reinforce the importance long-term sustainable sports and leisure services for the health and well being of local people, particularly as we face a national public health crisis.

“Undoubtedly, the challenge of pandemic has had an impact on my new role – working remotely and managing closed facilities were not something I anticipated.

“But, the team have been fantastic, and I am working closely with them to deal with current issues such as preparing facilities for reopening in line with the Scottish Government’s Covid-19 route map, ensuring the safety of customers and staff.”

The new CEO added: “It is clear that the trust’s customers think very highly of its facilities and programmes and have displayed a fantastic amount of loyalty during the lockdown.

“A recent survey showed that 68 per cent of customers are keen to get back to our facilities and we are really going to need that level of support so that we can continue to reinvest into the local community and ensure a long-term future.”

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