OneRen Annual Report
Renfrewshire Council · 18 February 2026
Back to Leadership Board — 18 February 2026 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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PUBLIC ___________________________________________________________________ To: Leadership Board On: 18 February 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Chief Executive ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: OneRen Annual Report ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 OneRen, the trading name of Renfrewshire Leisure Limited, recently published its annual report of 2024/25 which highlights the contribution that the organisation makes to the achievement of Council Plan, Community Plan and wider shared objectives through the wide range of projects, events and activities that it provides in the local community. OneRen recorded almost 2.1 million in person attendances, an increase of 10% from the previous financial year, and an increase of 30% over the last two years. The report particularly highlights that the redevelopment of Paisley Town Hall is now resulting in over 40,000 attendees at comedy, music and other cultural events. 1.2 The annual report, included within Appendix 1, also outlines the organisation’s main achievements and community impacts, performance and summary financial statements and forms part of the Council’s performance monitoring arrangements. The review of 2024/25 highlights increased participation rates across the majority of all OneRen services for the benefit of individuals and communities across Renfrewshire. 1.3 OneRen’s objectives are closely aligned to those of Renfrewshire Council. Progress is reported to the OneRen Board of Directors and the Council’s Leadership Board. OneRen’s Board is Chaired by Councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes, with two other elected member directors Councillor Janis McDonald and Councillor Anne Hannigan. Six independent directors are appointed from business, culture and sporting communities. Due to the retiral of an independent director, this report also proposes the nomination of a new independent director.
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PUBLIC 1.4 Quarterly performance reports are provided to and discussed with the Head of Policy and Partnerships, in her role as One Ren monitoring officer. __________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that the Leadership Board: • Notes the content of the OneRen annual report for 2024/25 as set out in appendix 1. • Approves the nominations committee recommendation in section 4.3 of this report. __________________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 OneRen is the local charitable trust established by the Council to provide culture, leisure and sporting opportunities to help people enjoy active and healthy lives. OneRen works to improve life-long physical and mental health in every one of our communities. OneRen’s vision is to ensure that everyone locally can live lives that are healthy, happy and fulfilled. 3.2 The Services Agreement with OneRen sets out the terms for it to deliver cultural, leisure and sport services within Renfrewshire. This specification: relates to the management of the cultural, leisure and sport facilities operated by OneRen within the council area; sets out standards, specifications, procedures and other requirements to be followed by OneRen in the provision of cultural, leisure and sports services. 3.3 One of the terms in the Services Agreement is the development of an annual Business Plan. The plan sets out OneRen’s priorities to deliver its strategic objectives and demonstrates its commitment to deliver the related strategic priorities set out in the Council and Community Plans. This report provides a summary of the achievements and activities of One Ren during 2024/25 and relates specifically to the OneRen Business Plan agreed by Leadership Board on 1 May 2024. 3.4 Key achievements noted in the annual report include: • 2,085,283 in-person attendances this year (10% increase from last year). • 35,872 people supported by the libraries team through the digital assistance programme. • 40,000 people attended events at Paisley Town Hall, enjoying comedy, music and cultural events.
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PUBLIC • 1,400 people took part in co-production activities to help shape the new Paisley Museum Reimagined. • More than 75,000 people watched or took part in 114 events at OneRen’s leisure venues, from dancing to boxing. • 3,585 attended 82 events at the Paisley Book Festival this year, with more than 1,400 pupils attending the linked schools programme. • One Ren’s Active Schools team supported 161 senior pupils to gain leadership awards from governing bodies and ran projects which supported care-experienced young people to become more fit and physically active. • Over 5000 children and young people attended One Ren’s summer camps, providing multi-sport activities throughout the school holidays. • 1,535 children participated in our Summer Reading Challenge, encouraging participants to explore new books and stories while taking part in free activities in arts and crafts to music, dance, and more 3.5 Over the last year, quarterly monitoring meetings have taken place with Council/OneRen colleagues to review delivery of the service specification and contribution to Council and Community Plan priorities. This includes ongoing review of performance information provided by One Ren. The annual report provides information on One Ren’s performance against the statutory performance indicators which are monitored and reported nationally, and scrutinised through the Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board. 3.6 OneRen reports on approximately 70 operational performance indicators to meet the terms of the services agreement; five of which are reported nationally on behalf of the Council through the Local Government Benchmarking Framework. The main culture, leisure and sport performance indicators for OneRen are summarised in Appendix 2 to the report. 3.7 OneRen is currently preparing its annual business plan, which will be submitted to the next Leadership Board cycle. The business plan will outline how the organisation plans to develop, not least with the ongoing significant Council investment in cultural venues and, enable our residents to participate in cultural, leisure and sporting activities and events and support communities impacted by ongoing economic challenges. 4. Director Nomination 4.1 OneRen is the trading name of Renfrewshire Leisure Limited, a charitable organisation and a company limited by guarantee which operates within the provisions set out in the Charities and Trustees Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Companies Act 2006. To ensure compliance with both Acts, OneRen has detailed Articles of Association to govern the operation of the company which set out the appointment, role and responsibilities of the company directors.
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PUBLIC 4.2 OneRen currently operates with eleven directors: three appointed by the Council; six independent directors with business, sport and cultural expertise, and two employee directors. Council directors serve for the term of the administration of Renfrewshire Council (unless they resign or are removed as a director by Renfrewshire Council during the term). Independent directors are appointed for a period of five years with the option to be re-elected for another term. 4.3 Independent directors are appointed by Renfrewshire Council guided by a nominations committee established by OneRen, which includes the Council’s Monitoring Officer for OneRen Laura McIntyre, and the Chair of OneRen Councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes. The nominations committee reviews the skills of the nominees and assesses whether they meet the requirements of the company before making a recommendation to the Council on their appointment. The recommendation for the appointment of an independent director with finance and audit skills to replace Anne Macmillan, a director who has served on the Board since 2018, is now made to the Council as Gavin Curr, following the culmination of the appointment process on 28 January 2026. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – as detailed in the report. 2. HR & Organisational Development – not applicable 3. Community/Council Planning – • Our Renfrewshire is thriving – One Ren recruits and trains volunteers and creates a pathway into employment; • Our Renfrewshire is well – One Ren’s cultural, leisure and sport services and programmes help to maintain positive physical and mental health and well-being; • Our Renfrewshire is fair – One Ren’s and programmes are accessible to all our citizens; • Reshaping our place, our economy and our future – development and delivery of the cultural infrastructure investment programme supports the regeneration aspirations for the area; • Building strong, safe and resilient communities – Tackling inequality, ensuring opportunities for all – One Ren’s services and activities are accessible to all our citizens; • Creating a sustainable Renfrewshire for all to enjoy – One Ren’s programmes build sustainability through volunteer and community development; • Working together to improve outcomes – partnership working to deliver shared outcomes remains a key priority in One Ren’s company strategy. 4. Legal – as per the content of the report.
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PUBLIC 5. Property/Assets – not applicable 6. Information Technology – not applicable 7. Equality & Human Rights (a) The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the PUBLIC recommendations contained in the report because for example it is for noting only. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety – not applicable. 9. Procurement – not applicable. 10. Risk – not applicable. 11. Privacy Impact – not applicable. 12. Children’s Rights –not applicable. 13. Climate Risk – not applicable. 14. COSLA Policy position - none Author: Laura McIntyre, Head of Policy and Partnerships
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Annual Report 2024/2025
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Reflections on a Transformative Year Year at a Glance Our shared ambition A Healthy Community 20 years of Active Schools A Sustainable Local Economy A Great Place to Live, Play and Visit A Sustainable, High-Performing Charity Paisley Museum Re-Imagined From our Chief Executive Performance Reporting Financial Overview 2 5 7 9 13 15 21 27 31 32 34 36 Contents
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Reflections on a Transformative Year A Mission Rooted in Community This past year has been one of significant growth and evolution for OneRen. However, amidst this progress, we have remained completely committed to our core mission: ensuring that everyone in our community lives a life that is healthy, happy, and fulfilled. In pursuit of that goal, the entire team at OneRen has worked with a shared purpose. While we have made major strides toward our long-term strategic objectives, I am equally proud of our "everyday" activities. These are the consistent, high-quality services that make a truly life-enhancing difference to the people and communities across Renfrewshire. Redefining Our Cultural Landscape Our flagship Paisley Book and Comedy Festivals have evolved from one-off celebrations into central pillars of the years to come, signaling our intent to lead in cultural regeneration. We have demonstrated the powerful link between quality facilities and successful events by utilising our newly redeveloped assets, including Paisley Town Hall, Paisley Arts Centre, and Paisley Central Library. With festival attendance increasing by two- thirds last year, we are aiming even higher. We want these "gamechanger" events to continue elevating the region's profile and attracting visitors from well beyond Renfrewshire, making a bold statement on behalf of the wider region. Councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes OneRen Chairperson A Global Vision for Local Benefit OneRen plays a lead role in the region’s tourism strategy, working with VisitScotland and other national and regional partners to attract visitors on an unprecedented scale. This report highlights the immediate success of the redeveloped Paisley Town Hall in its first full year of opening, demonstrating the immediate impact of our investment. In next year’s report, we plan to be able to further highlight how the Paisley Museum Reimagined project - already acclaimed as a world-leading initiative - is elevating our global status. This ambition redefines the visitor experience while ensuring our success supports local life-chances and well-being. Investing in the Health of Renfrewshire Our commitment to sport and leisure is a vital public health intervention, with expanded physical and cultural activities proving effective for delivering better health. We are seeing expanding user numbers across our portfolio and have built specialised pathways to ensure inclusivity. Our Active Wellbeing and Referral Schemes, such as Live Active and Vitality, provide tailored support for managing long-term conditions and improving mobility. Bridging the gap between clinical health and community life, our Social Prescribing service uses arts, libraries, and heritage to tackle isolation and boost resilience. Similarly, Sporting Memories helps older residents use sport heritage for cognitive health and connection. For the younger generation, our Youth and Active Schools initiatives embed activity early on, fostering lifelong habits of health and confidence. OneRen is dedicated to making these opportunities affordable and accessible. Indeed, it is my personal mission to ensure that "health and happiness" are not luxuries, but a shared reality for everyone in Renfrewshire. Resilience and Gratitude Taking these major strides forward is no small feat, particularly against a challenging financial backdrop. Our progress - from libraries to culture-led regeneration - is a direct result of the incredible team we have here. Across our staff team and our Board, it is our shared commitment to our mission and values that binds us together and keeps us moving forward. I want to extend my sincere thanks to every member of the OneRen team, as well as the many partners who have walked this path with us. Together, we are building a future we can all be proud of.
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#WeAreOneRen 2024/25 at a Glance Culture. Leisure. Sport. • 2,085,283 in-person attendances this year, 10% increase from last year. • 35,872 people were supported by our library colleagues through our digital assistance programme. • 40,000 people attended events at the new Paisley Town Hall, enjoying comedy, music and cultural events. • 1,400 people took part in co-production activities to help shape the new Paisley Museum Reimagined. • More than 75,000 people watched or took part in 114 events at our leisure venues, from dancing to boxing. • 3,585 attended 82 events at the Paisley Book Festival this year, with more than 1,400 pupils attending our schools programme. • Our Active Schools team supported 161 senior pupils to gain leadership awards from sports governing bodies and supported care-experienced young people to become more fit and physically active. • Over 5000 children and young people attended our summer camps, providing multi-sport activities throughout the school holidays. • 1,535 children participated in our Summer Reading Challenge, encouraging participants to explore new books and stories while taking part in free activities in arts and crafts to music, dance, and more.
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Our shared ambition Strategic Objectives 1. A Healthy Community 2. A Sustainable Local Economy 3. A Great Place to Live, Play and Visit 4. A Sustainable, High-Performing Charity OneRen is the local charitable trust established by Renfrewshire Council to provide culture, leisure and sporting opportunities to help people enjoy active and healthy lives. We are passionate about the part we play in improving life-long physical and mental health in every one of our communities. Our charity provides a range of affordable, accessible and ambitious services that are open to all and designed to improve personal, social and economic outcomes. We are committed to our vision to ensure that everyone locally can lives that are healthy, happy and fulfilled. Our mission is to improve our community’s health and wellbeing by working in partnership to design and deliver a range of life-enhancing and accessible cultural, leisure and sporting opportunities that meet local needs and improve life chances across the population, and is framed around our four strategic objectives. Our objectives are closely aligned to those of Renfrewshire Council. Our progress is reported to the OneRen Board of Directors and the Council’s Leadership Board. Quarterly performance reports to the Council’s chief executive office are made through the Council’s monitoring officer for OneRen. We measure and report on progress through performance indicators. We also align with the Scottish Government’s National Performance Framework, in particular on outcomes relating to children and young people, communities, culture, health, poverty, human rights and fair work. As a charity, we have been able to achieve significant savings, such as relief on non- domestic rate charges, and allowing us to secure external grants and funding.
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A Healthy Community Improving lives, tackling inequalities We want to create opportunities for everyone in Renfrewshire to lead healthier, happier and more fulfilled lives. Working collaboratively, the life-enhancing work that we do - and the accessible services we provide - play an important part in improving peoples’ health and improving their wellbeing. It addresses inequalities and improves the life chances for our region’s residents. For several years, OneRen has worked with key organisations to deliver programmes, with the aim of improving the lives of inactive people and those living with long-term conditions. We have recognised, however, that it’s not merely physical activity that can improve a person’s health and wellbeing. To further enhance our offering, Social Prescribing - sometimes referred to as Community Referral - has been introduced where our coordinator can support people to attend a broader range of opportunities in the local area. The Live Active Referral Scheme is a fantastic example of partnership working in action. This well-established and well-utilised service - part-funded by NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde - is ideal for those who would benefit from being physically active but need help to do so. Through the support of specialist Live Active Advisors, those referred receive bespoke advice and encouragement to set realistic goals on how to make changes to their activity levels. Live Active Advisors help people choose from a range of activities available to them in their local area such as Vitality classes, supervised gym sessions, swimming and health walks. During 2024/24 there were: • 1,052 referrals to Live Active • 3,359 consultations delivered • 1,944 attendances at advisor-led supervised gym sessions Reach your goals. Gordon’s story Eighty-year-old Gordon lives alone. He had a stroke in March 2024, causing some weakness and lack of control down his right side. Following several physio sessions, he was referred to the Live Active Referral Scheme to support his recovery. An initial consultation in Renfrew Sports Centre led to Gordon attending a weekly supervised gym session - and he has not looked back. He says: “The programme has been great for me in many ways. It has helped me to improve my strength in all my muscles as well as improve my balance. I still use my stick as a precaution, but I am a lot more confident without it. “My all-round health has improved, as has my confidence in trying something new and meeting new people. “At all times I have been encouraged to go at my own pace and increase intensity when I was ready to.”
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324 social prescribing referrals to Health & Wellbeing We also work with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde on our Vitality classes, where attendee numbers have this year increased by 32% to 11,890. They attended a total of 539 sessions, delivered by highly-trained instructors at different levels. Classes are designed for people living with medical conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, strokes, cardiac conditions, cancer, osteoporosis, cognitive impairments and COPD. They are also ideal for those who have a fear of falling or find their strength and balance is starting to impact on their daily lives. We have also partnered with the local NHS - as well as our museums and libraries colleagues - on Paths for All. Our health and themed walks together involved 1,958 people this year. Improving wellbeing is not only about physical activity, but cultural as well. Through our Cultural and Social Prescribing Service - which we are keen to grow - we this year had 324 referrals. These have helped people to make new social connections, learn new skills and enjoy being creative. Other Health and Wellbeing highlights include: • 390 volunteer hours supported services • 634 people attended Sporting Memories sessions • 1,813 children from 50 primary schools learned essential water skills through our P6 curriculum programme Linda Kirby, 73, has had health issues the last few years with high blood pressure, mild angina and an underactive thyroid gland. To help her health, she has been attending Vitality classes. “Vitality has made me get up out of bed and feel that maybe I can get fit again, even though I am ageing. I think it’s also an antidote to depression. “My daughter had noticed I was becoming slower in my walking and tending to shuffle. I think this was because I was afraid I would trip or fall. I am now walking a good bit better. Being with others in the same boat helps. The leaders show interest and try to encourage us. “Being a pensioner on a low income, I could not afford to enrol on some of the private exercise classes so OneRen is a bit more affordable.” Our team is committed to providing accessible services for all. Feeling Happier Mr G benefitted from Social and Cultural Prescribing after he was referred by the Royal Alexandria Hospital to support his recovery from sepsis. Following a meeting with the Social Prescribing Coordinator a referral to the Live Active Referral Scheme would be appropriate as he was keen to gain specialist advice to be more physically active. In addition, he was supported to attend a library group and sessions at the Patterson Park Allotments in Renfrew. “I have enjoyed meeting new friends and it’s been great getting back into swimming,” he says. “ I feel a lot happier and it’s been good to get out and about again. The Social Prescribing Coordinator has been helpful to aid my recovery from sepsis and I am looking forward to getting back to the Renfrew Allotments.”
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A springboard to success August 2024 marked the 20th anniversary of Scotland’s Active Schools initiative, a celebrated programme which increases levels of participation in sport and improves physical activity opportunities. It is spearheaded locally by OneRen and Renfrewshire Council. It is an initiative which we know sets young people off on a path of leading a healthier lifestyle involving sport and fitness. For some, involvement has even marked the beginning of a career. The programme, supported by 333 volunteers, is centred on evidence-led extra-curricular and community club programmes, using a pupil activity survey. The 2024/25 survey achieved more than 9,000 returns. Among the ongoing highlights are our successfully coordinated and delivered holiday camps for spring and summer. These provided multi-sport activities, outdoor activities, football, dance and gymnastics supported. The summer 2024 camps had more than 5,000 attendances between the two school holidays. Inclusiveness is another major element of our Active Schools work and, in August 2024, Kirklandneuk Primary School won the Who Cares Scotland Award for Positive Partnerships category for their work with OneRen’s Active Schools Team. The aim of the initiative was to encourage care experienced pupils to take part in 20 years of Active Schools physical activity and enhance their overall wellbeing. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, resulting in other schools looking to offer a similar programme. Care Experienced pupils from seven local primary schools attended four weekly sports events delivered in partnership with West College Scotland students in May, providing a fantastic platform on which to build. In partnership with Renfrewshire Council’s children’s services, social work and the family wellbeing team, children and parents were also invited to take part in Family Clubs based around a sport and physical activity session provided by OneRen, as well as receiving a small snack. These clubs took place in Gallowhill, Renfrew, Johnstone Glenburn and Foxbar, with a total of 86 families attending. In the 20th anniversary year, the Active Schools team achieved the LGBTQ+ Bronze Charter Mark, with more than 50 staff completing LGBTQ+ training. As the programme continues to evolve, we focussed on developing staff skills by participating in trauma-informed training in partnership with Renfrewshire’s trauma- informed programme lead.
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Helping Renfrewshire to thrive Culture and leisure is playing an increasingly important part in Renfrewshire’s economy. The landmark investments taking place in OneRen’s venues and facilities offer opportunities to attract more visitors, support quality, sustainable jobs, develop skills and enhance wider community wealth. Working in partnership with businesses and other organisations, we are committed to helping the region’s economy to prosper. Together, we can create and seize new opportunities. We actively support community wealth building by supporting local people and businesses whenever it is possible to do so. Our venues also provide brilliant backdrops for local organisations to host events - including corporate functions - in the region. OneRen is a member of the Renfrewshire Tourism Leadership group and the Renfrewshire Tourism Network Forum. Through this network, we were awarded £30,000 to develop a collective heritage package (with Paisley Abbey and Coats Memorial) to cross-promote the combined offer to local and national tourism markets. We worked closely with Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce, UWS, Renfrewshire Tourism Network, Visit Scotland and Paisley First to build and develop the Paisley profile as well as Glasgow Convention Bureau colleagues to support the development of travel trade requirements. A Sustainable Local Economy Paisley Book Festival is a prime example of how OneRen’s events programme is a catalyst for wider local economic benefits. Attendees who took part in a survey about our 2024 festival told us that: • 53% also visited Paisley Food and Drink Festival • 46% went out for a meal • 30% went out for a drink Renfrewshire’s libraries are about more than just books. They play a key role in helping to broaden horizons, developing the skills and opening the opportunities which are so important in allowing our economy to grow. Not only that, but they are safe spaces where people can access information and digital support without being judged. They are special community hubs. During 2024/25, visits to the region’s libraries totalled 403,627 up from 339,751 last year. As we continue our work to address digital exclusion, more than 35,000 people received digital assistance in our libraries, with the support helping them with all manner of issues, from paying bills, to applying for jobs, sending e-mails and generally gaining confidence using digital devices. Meanwhile, 266,858 physical book issues took place. Work to take our libraries into communities include 4,200 book gifting packs being delivered in association with local primary schools.
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Learn Life Skills. There were also: • 3,323 class, club and group visits. • 201 pupils hours spent volunteering towards school recognition programmes • 29,100 physical books issued to pupils • 38 author visits with an additional 10 author sessions held as part of Paisley Book Festival and Will Eisner Week. Information Literacy was a key priority with all schools undertaking key induction skills for new S1 at the beginning of the academic year. All pupils were given information on how to use the library catalogue and resources, including the benefit of their joint public and school library card. Research skills for senior pupils sessions included referencing, bibliographies and journal searching. St Andrew’s Academy continued the popular research hub sessions. Visits were also organised by school librarians to university libraries to support dissertations and encourage the continued use of libraries beyond secondary level. “A Technical class of 20 pupils visited the library with their teacher to learn about 3D printing and watch a demonstration. The pupils were surprised by the diversity and complexity of the objects that can be created using a 3D printer, and were highly engaged during the session.” We marked the tenth anniversary of Johnstone Town Hall library with a series of well-received free events, which included local author Alex Gray giving a talk about the latest DCI Lorimer novel at that time. “Everything costs too much these days and I just can’t afford to take my three kids, as this would have cost me a fortune. Now I feel they are included with it being free.” Bookbug Week, which celebrated all of the languages spoken by families across Scotland, included special events in all of our libraries, with Bookbug bags distributed to health centres and early years establishments. This supported early book sharing within families, with Bookbug sessions to develop language, literacy, social and emotional skills, giving families time to talk, sing and play together. Highlights included the distribution of: • 414 Bookbug Baby Bags • 313 Bookbug Toddler Bags • 1,102 Bookbug Explorer Bags • 67 Tactile Books for children who need additional support The creativity central to Renfrewshire’s past - and at the core of much of its future - was celebrated with our Marvellous Makers Summer Reading Challenge, in which 1,535 children participated. “As a carer, the summer activities at Erskine Library have been amazing and a lifesaver. Very well organised.” In partnership with arts charity Create, this year's Challenge celebrated creativity and storytelling, with children encouraged to explore new books and stories while taking part in free activities in arts and crafts to music, dance, and more. Our professionally-trained librarians enhance opportunities through the 11 secondary school libraries operated by OneRen across Renfrewshire. This year, there were 185,190 visits across all libraries.
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Local jobs for local people As a significant Renfrewshire employer, OneRen continues to support the Renfrewshire Local Employability Partnership (LEP). At the LEP Conference, which had more than 200 attendees, OneRen staff showcased career roles and services. We proactively network with partners, colleges, schools and universities to support skills development and employability pathways. We have successfully hosted work placements. One student from Action for Children secured full-time employment with our indoor leisure team.
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Stand Centre Stage. Shining in the spotlight As we continue to grow our leisure and cultural offering - from celebrating our unique and inspirational history to significant sporting events - we are creating an ever-increasing number of ways in which Renfrewshire’s residents and visitors can enjoy life in the region. This plays a significant part in building stronger local communities, as well as enhancing health and wellbeing. Paisley Book Festival - taking place at Paisley Town Hall, Paisley Central Library and schools across the region - is one of the highlights of our events calendar. It is becoming the West of Scotland’s leading platform for new writers and radical words. Its diverse programme for all ages seeks to challenge the status quo and encourage writers, audiences and participants to transform the world through writing. The 2024 edition, Imagine Something Different, captured the imaginative potential of books (and book festivals) to take readers beyond ‘normal life’ into a world of fantasy and possibility. The most popular events in the adult programme featured writers including Alan Bissett and Graeme Armstrong, Judy Murray, Pat Nevin, Andrew O’Hagan and Len Pennie. Two-thirds of visitors (67%) told us that this was their first time at the festival, reinforcing the event’s pulling power. More than nine- in-10 (94%) said they were likely to return. To encourage inclusivity and enhance accessibility, we once again operated a Pay A Great Place to Live, Play and Visit What You Can ticket model for certain events. It has been well received, with one visitor saying: “I paid the suggested rate for my events, but I was more inclined to support the Book Festival because I have been in that place where I couldn't afford tickets for events and it is good to see this initiative.” • 82 unique events • 44 events in the main programme • 38 events in the schools’ programme • 2,133 tickets sold • 1,452 school pupils attended The book festival is a significant showcase of Paisley Town Hall, which is growing in stature as an events venue (see pages 24-25). Across Paisley Town Hall, Johnstone Town Hall, Renfrew Town Hall, Tweedie Town Hall and Paisley Arts Centre, 102,214 people took part in 1,870 events, from live music and comedy to corporate meetings, up from 78,287 in 2023/24. Paisley Arts Centre (PAC) reopened in April 2024 following its well-received £3m refurbishment, reflecting the vibrant cultural spirit of Paisley. The team have successfully delivered a diverse programme of theatre, dance, music, comedy and family work. Strong audience feedback praised the refurbishment, atmosphere and staff experience, helping to rebuild audience confidence and repeat attendance.
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The opening season at PAC, saw internationally recognised theatre company Vanishing Point perform to a sell-out audience with Love the Sinner. The Autumn Season launched the premiere of There is no room in our bathroom for Lewis Capaldi, a Future Paisley funded co- production between OneRen and PACE Theatre Company. In March 2025, OneRen co-produced a celebration of International Women’s Day with Hen Hoose, featuring a dynamic showcase of female and non-binary artists, including local talent Frankie Morrow. Two other musical events,, in collaboration with Tenement TV, spotlighted two rising Scottish music acts – Parliamo and Lizzie Reid. “Venues like Paisley Arts Centre are vital to the Scottish music scene because they provide up-and- coming musicians with a platform, where talent can be nurtured and showcased.” - Parliamo Paisley 10K and Fun Run is another of our landmark events which goes from strength to strength. The 2024 event attracted a record-breaking 4,500 participants ranging in age from one-year-old to 81 years old. That was 1,000 more than the previous ger. Three-quarters or participants lived within 20 miles of Paisley. Various charities - including OneRen - benefited financially from fundraising linked to the event. Thousands of people lined the streets to support them, with two former Olympians, Kieron Achara and Derek Hawkins, the race starters. “Paisley 10K’s a great event, well organised and a great asset to the local community, many who came out and supported.” “Paisley 10k was excellent. Watching the fun run, cheering on the young runners, was the highlight of my day.” For our Outdoor Sports team, the KGV Football Finals Days continue to be a highlight, with the 2024 weekend seeing, 1,440 young players competing in 36 cup finals in front of more than 12,000 spectators, while a further 270 younger children played in non-competitive season finale small-sided games. Surrounded by this festival of football, Renfrew Cricket Club enjoyed record crowds as they played a league match alongside the footballers. In Indoor Sports, the Renfrewshire Council- funded under-five swim initiative - encouraging infant swimming by offering free access to parents and carers to swimming pools. In addition from February 2024 the offer was expanded from 2 hours a day to 5 hours a day. This resulted in participation growing from 1,670 to 15,474 attendances ensuring families can can continue to enjoy swimming as they deal with the cost of living challenges.
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Headliners and highlights The transformation of Paisley Town Hall is an undoubted success story. Its rejuvenation flies the flag for so much of OneRen’s mission - celebrating Renfrewshire as a great place to live, play and visit, contributing to a sustainable local economy, enhancing health and wellbeing and demonstrating our credentials as a sustainable high-performing charity which delivers for the communities it serves. 2024/25 represented the venue’s first full year of operation. It is a year during which its status among event organisers and audiences has continued to grow. And that shows no signs of slowing. Internationally-renowned artists and performers, including home-grown hero Paolo Nutini and comedians John Bishop and Frankie Boyle have already taken to Town Hall stage. This striking venuel is, of course, central to Paisley Book Festival. St Mirren Football Club launched its new strip there, capturing stunning footage of both the indoor and outdoor spaces within our Loom Loggia and Balcony. Growing connections include those with leading music promoters, The Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Scottish Ballet the BBC and West Scotland College, whose annual graduations are now held here. The stunning surroundings of the Town Hall are gaining note as a premium wedding venue and we hosted two wedding fairs in partnership with Weddings Services Scotland. Average income per event at Paisley Town Hall is up by 98% compared to 2018 • 39,914 attendances • 473 events Julieanne Whyte Photography
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The upgraded tennis courts at Robertson Park, Brodie Park and Johnstone also opened in summer 2024 thanks to a partnership involving OneRen, Renfrewshire Council and the Lawn Tennis Association. These were recognised as vital community assets which increase access to facilities to support the physical and mental health benefits of being active through sport. Our Bikeability programme - praised by Cycling Scotland - has continued delivery with 20 primary schools completing a block of Level 2 on-road training. This represented the highest delivery figure in terms of total schools of any local authority in the West of Scotland region. A further 13 schools delivered Bikeability Level 1 playground training to either P5 or P6 children. And in all that we do we endeavour to be both environmentally and economically sustainable. The OneRen Energy Savings Challenge set out to achieve a reduction of 5% across the winter months, with a £200 prize for the venue team which achieved the greatest reduction, year-on-year. A campaign was launched providing hints and tips on how to save energy both at work and within our homes. The venue which saved the most over the period was Renfrew Library, which saw a reduction of 17% in their energy usage. Playing our part in a new future As a charity rooted in our communities, we aim to operate sustainably through services which enable everybody in Renfrewshire to live lives which are happy, healthy and fulfilled. Fairness, inclusivity and accessibility are at the heart of all that we do. Those values are central to every decision that we make. We aim to provide a modern service within the best available facilities. They play their part in addressing inequalities. They create opportunities to improve lives. We create employment, encourage volunteering and promote Renfrewshire on the regional, national and global stages. Leisure membership levels in 2024/2025 stayed steady compared to 2023/2024. This stability is a positive result given the growing competition in Renfrewshire and ongoing cost-of-living pressures. Against a challenging financial backdrop, we continue to invest in our facilities in order to improve experiences. Highlights included sportscotland-funded support for our local community sport hub clubs to develop and to maintain their members and volunteers. Each of the four sport hubs had an allocation of £1,250. We had 68 affiliated and non-affiliated Hub Clubs across Renfrewshire during the year. Sports representation includes athletics, basketball, bowls, badminton, cricket, football, golf, gymnastics, hockey, judo, karate, rugby, swimming, sailing, taekwondo, tennis, walking and weightlifting. A Sustainable, High-Performing Charity
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Start Your Future. As significant local employers, we take our role as a corporate parent seriously and actively promote the principles of Keeping the Promise, doubling the network of OneRen Promise Keepers to 13. We continue to create new employment pathways for the local aspiring workforce and help nurture new talent through pathways of training and employment. During the period April to September 2024 alone, we onboarded 30 new employees and sessional workers within leisure. For 60% of the overall new intake, OneRen was their first employment. Just over half of them (55%) progressed from seasonal work. We also initiated a new partnership with the Swimming Teachers’ Association. This upskilled a number of our team to become a trainer/examiner to deliver Pool Lifeguard / First Aid at Work and Swim Teacher qualifications to both mitigate gaps in our swim instructor workforce and enable OneRen to offer course spaces to other organisations. OneRen Online During 2024/25 OneRen recorded 1,874,577 OneRen website views, reached 783,735 people via our Facebook page and 73,776 via Instagram. Our Library website saw a huge 2,145,408 views. Paisley’s Promise
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An attraction for all The once-in-a-lifetime investment by Renfrewshire Council in Paisley’s cultural assets is creating new social, economic and wellbeing opportunities for our region. The transformation of Paisley Museum is the final piece in that jigsaw - and expectations around its impact upon completion are rightly high. While construction work continued throughout this year, significant strides have been made in ensuring that the rejuvenated museum is one that reflects every aspect of life in the diverse communities of Renfrewshire, past and present. Throughout this year, our partnership working to prepare for reopening has included that with Children North East (CNE) to support Poverty Proofing methods for the new Paisley Museum. Based on over 125 qualitative community consultation interviews and which will provide wider learning for OneRen as a whole. A poverty- proofed activity/ service is one that does not identify, exclude, treat differently or make assumptions about those children whose household income or resources are lower than others. The main deliverables have been training and audience research involving a mixed team including those making financial and communication decisions. We have also worked with Renfrewshire Climate Action Network to understand how the museum can play a role in valuable cross-community dialogues regarding the climate crisis and wider environmental issues. With community co-creation a significant part of creating our new museum, ensuring we have opportunities for all is central to everything we are doing. Work on developing our collections throughout the year has included a Co- Production Week to help shape the public programme for the museum. These introduced people to museum themes, bringing together community groups, cultural organisations, and partners to share ideas, explore opportunities, and shape future collaborative programming. The continued successes of our wider museums service includes being selected as one of four Scottish institutions to pilot a free learning source with schools called Marseum, designed to help young people develop transferable skills, while learning about museums and galleries. Developed by Museums Galleries Scotland, in collaboration with Daydream Believers, it is designed to support their strategic Workforce for the Future Project. It is another build on our successful work with the region’s schools, which will strengthen with the reopening of the museum during the second half of 2026. Paisley Museum Re-Imagined
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From our Chief Executive Victoria Hollows Chief Executive This review of our year to the end of March 2025 paints a picture of wide-ranging impact for our charity. It’s an impact that has grown significantly in recent years, with the delivery of major projects with the support of Renfrewshire Council. I hope in setting them out in this Annual Report, it allows everyone in Renfrewshire a sense of pride that, despite ongoing challenges in the public sector funding environment and the cost-of-living challenges being faced by everyone in Renfrewshire, that we have through our actions made life better for all. This year - 2024/25 - has, of course, seen the first full year of operations at our largest capital project to date, with the reopening in 2023 of Paisley Town Hall after an extensive period of refurbishment. An historic and imposing feature of the town centre is now a well-used, flexible high-quality performance and activity space that the whole region can be proud of. In common with our charitable purpose, and our mission at OneRen, it is already delivering wellbeing and enjoyment for local people as well as widening access to culture and local activities like never before. As you can read in our feature in this annual report, the first year of operations at the Town Hall has been a busy and successful one, hosting music, drama and comedy performances as well as establishing itself as a premier wedding and family events space for the people of Renfrewshire. Of course, the Town Hall project delivery is just one part of the cultural revival locally, where our leadership in delivering economic and social revival through cultural investment has also been added to by the Paisley Arts Centre, the Central Library and the imminent completion of our most exciting project to date, Paisley Museum Reimagined. Through transformative regeneration works, we are delivering social revival, which is a crucial part of the wider regional story. Every “Buddie” will have been proud to see Paisley being successful in being named as Scotland’s Town of the Year in 2025. I hope that in every part of this report, you see two crucial elements of OneRen shining through. Firstly, what we do, and how we do it, if informed and guided by our values - of integrity, creativity, fairness and excellence. They lie behind every action, every decision and every operation. They mean everything to us, and drive us towards widening access to all, through looking differently at how we can change lives for the better. Crucially, our fairness value means that - at every turn - we are looking to make everything as truly accessible as we can. Whether it is digital, geographical, or social exclusion, we want to be open to all. Whether it is sport, leisure, culture, or our venues, we want every part of the local community to find OneRen delivering for them. And I make no apology for re-iterating the charitable status of OneRen. What we do and how we do it, is driven by our social purpose, and we are proud of the activities we make possible that would otherwise be impossible, with the support of our partners, members and members of our team. Whether it is in disability sport, community access to the arts or in enhancing child literacy, we can be proud of our charitable outcomes. Finally, I would like to pay tribute to the over 300 people in our OneRen team who make everything happen, as well as our stakeholders, partners and friends across the local community. We are OneRen. We are One Team and their tireless contributions over this year in review has made a real difference. This document sets out a picture, but the real impact is in the community. I hope you have enjoyed the summary of our operations contained in this Annual review for 2024/25 financial year. However, I hope that, even more strikingly, you will find what we do on the ground makes a positive contribution. Seek us out - visit, take part and enjoy. That will be the greatest contribution you can make.
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Performance Reporting OneRen reports on a range of performance indicators across all service areas and monitors trends in attendance and service usage. The statutory performance indicators for cultural and leisure services are collated annually for each Council area and are published by the Improvement Service. The statutory performance indicator data for the cultural and leisure services delivered by OneRen is provided below, with comparisons to the previous year. During 2023/24, despite significant challenges in the operating environment, OneRen has continued to recover income and attendance numbers: Performance Indicator 2023/24 2024/25 Percentage Change Swimming Attendance 442,557 408,686 -8% Indoor sport attendance excluding pools 681,013 693,089 2% Attendance at Outdoor sport & leisure facilities 359,768 389,709 8% Physical visits to libraries 339,751 403,627 19% Virtual visits to libraries 1,867,758 2,055,549 10% Total visits to libraries 2,207,509 2,459,176 11%
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Financial Overview The charity is funded through a service payment from Renfrewshire Council, external grants and donations, memberships, admission fees and ticket sales generated at its leisure and sports facilities and cultural venues. The charity does not trade for profit and any surplus generated by the charity is applied solely to the continuation and development of the charity for the benefit of the local community to help people enjoy healthy and active lives. During 2024/25, we generated income of £22.4m and spent £21.3m on our activities (excluding pension adjustments, which were a net £61k gain). This allowed us to add a surplus of £968k to our useable reserves this year, as well as adding £115k of funds to restricted reserves for specific activities and initiatives. The financial strategy for 2025/26 recognises the current challenging economic conditions in which the charity is operating in, including exposure to continually rising energy prices and increasing insurance costs. Financial modelling indicated a broadly breakeven position for 2025/26. The pension fund has performed well in recent years which has resulted in a temporary reduction in employer pension fund rates, which continues into 2025/26, although they will rise again significantly for subsequent years. The temporary reduction supports the breakeven position and allows OneRen to invest in spend-to-save initiatives. In the short to medium term, OneRen will need to manage ongoing cost and pay pressures, alongside supressed income streams, whilst the cost-of-living crisis continues to affect customers, our local communities and our employees. Over the next year, OneRen will focus on growing the business and performance profile of our iconic cultural venues – Paisley Town Hall and Arts Centre, and preparing for the reopening of Paisley Museum in 2026/27, following significant investment in refurbishment. We will also continue to work with our Council partner to maximise the major investment proposals in our sports, community and leisure facilities across Renfrewshire. With the ongoing investment in our facilities, and in our arts and cultural programmes, OneRen will play a key role in supporting creative activities in Renfrewshire over the long term to bring exciting arts and cultural events programmes which help bring positive health, educational, social and economic benefits to the area. The financial statements for 2024/25 are available on our website. Service Level Agreement: 61% Fees & Sales: 27% Memberships: 10% Grants (Restricted Funds): 2% Leisure and Sports Services and programme: 50% Support governance and compliance activites: 16% Library services and programme: 13% Cultural services and arts programme: 13% Museum and heritage services and programme: 8% Expenditure: £21.3m Income: £22.4m
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For further information about OneRen, please visit our website at: oneren.org You can contact us: Lagoon Leisure Centre 11 Christie Street Paisley PA1 1NB Telephone: 0141 618 6351 OneRen, a trading name of Renfrewshire Leisure Limited Company limited by guarantee no: 490998 Registered Charity in Scotland: SCO33898 OneRen, a trading name of Renfrewshire Leisure Trading Limited Company limited by guarantee no: 241310 VAT Registered Company: 210 0336 83 oneren.org #WeAreOneRen
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PUBLIC Appendix 2 – One Ren Summary of Performance Performance indicator 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 Comments Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Full year Number of attendances at indoor sports and leisure facilities excluding pools 668,571 851,714 270,744 206,752 213,337 228,453 919,286 Number of online attendances (digital fitness classes) in leisure services 1,830 516 0 0 0 0 0 Demand for online fitness classes reduced once people were allowed to attend classes in person. To reflect the changes in customer preference, online digital fitness classes are no longer offered. This indicator will no longer be monitored in future reports. Number of attendances at pools 395,746 442,557 111,112 117,427 88,014 92,133 408,686 Attendances at pools decreased from 2023/24 to 2024/25, largely due to challenges in retaining instructors for the Learn to Swim programme. New swim instructors have now been recruited, and this increased staffing will
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PUBLIC expand lesson capacity from 2025/26 onwards. Number of attendances at outdoor facilities 161,744 145,384 48,837 40,951 40,503 45,034 175,325 Attendance at our outdoor sports facilities declined in 2023/24 due to the refurbishment of Ferguslie Sports Centre. During the closure, no games were held—only training sessions— resulting in no spectators and a significant reduction in overall attendance. Number of people engaged with Sport Services (online and offline) 53,502 66,465 15,743 13,107 10,728 10,991 50,569 The reduction in engagement with Sport Services in 2024/25 is primarily due to core staffing challenges, a limited pool of casual staff, and the ongoing cost-of-living pressures reducing the availability of volunteers. Combined, these factors have constrained our overall programme delivery and impacted attendance figures. However, the sessions that do run continue to be well received and well attended. Number of people engaged in Health and Wellbeing service 8,768 12,627 3,922 3,869 3,694 4,389 15,874 Number of RENTV views (switched to Youtube in Q3 23-24) 2,533 21,159 130 9,339 11,045 18,335 38,849 After the switch to using YouTube instead of RENTV, we began to get much more engagement. Number of visits to museums (includes website visits) 50,650 53,154 8,426 11,274 6,851 8,491 35,042 The reduction in visits in 2024/25 is largely due to a decline in website traffic. Following OneRen’s rebranding and the launch of the new website, the museum section has not received further updates. In addition, with Paisley Museum currently closed for refurbishment, our communications and marketing team has not actively promoted the museum webpage, which may have contributed to the drop in online views. Once
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PUBLIC Paisley Museum reopens, we expect physical and digital museum attendance figures to increase significantly. Museum social media 454,286 702,354 409,000 Figures include Facebook, Instagram and Google. Drop in 24/25 possibly related to a reduction in amount posted due to project requirements. Currently resting the social media output until marketing strategy is implemented towards opening. Number of visits and engagements with libraries (inc. digital) 2,464,98 9 2,207,509 550,763 629,044 620,400 658,969 2,459,17 6 From 22/23 to 23/24 physical visits to libraries increased by 56% whilst digital engagement reduced by 17% Number of books and e- book issues 430,134 491,802 137,895 155,434 147,832 156,804 597,965 Total activity and engagement 4,692,753 4,995,241 1,147,572 1,187,1 97 1,142,404 1,223,599 5,109,772