Northern Community Leisure Trust was established in 2012 and is responsible for overseeing the running and development of Queens Leisure Complex and Bangor Aurora in partnership with its managing agent Serco Leisure Operating Limited.
The Northern Community Leisure Trust is an independent not for profit organisation that has provided leisure services in North Down since 2013, under contract from Ards & North Down Borough Council. This covers services at Bangor Aurora, Queen's Leisure Complex in Holywood, Bangor Sportsplex and some sports grounds, with the contract currently in place until March 2028. The Council continues to own the facilities and has landlord responsibilities in terms of repairs and maintenance. Leisure services in the old Ards Borough Council area are provided in-house by Council.
The Trust has contracted Serco Leisure Operating Limited to provide the services on our behalf. We are committed to supporting healthier lives, encouraging people to take regular exercise and introduce more physical activity into their daily lives.
Serco is one of the leading outsourcing companies in the UK, with over 50 years’ experience in providing outsourcing services to government, national and international organisations. Serco provides leisure services on behalf of Community Leisure Trusts, Local Authorities, universities, and organisations such as Sport England. Their contracts include four of the National Sports Centres, outdoor activity venues, community leisure centres, gyms, swimming pools, white water courses, tennis courts, golf courses and conference centres.
The Trust’s ultimate goal working with Serco is to get more people, more active, more often. Together we provide affordable access to a wide range of market-leading sports and leisure facilities to support healthier and happier individuals across all segments of society – the places we manage are safe, welcoming spaces for people to enjoy their leisure time in.
The Trust Board
The Northern Community Leisure Trust has an experienced Board of Members who are representative of the North Down community and have a broad range of skills and experience relevant to the business that the Trust engages in. Board members attend formal quarterly meetings, along with frequent informal meetings, to focus on the business in hand and on important items within the leisure industry to determine the direction of travel for the Trust and its ongoing strategy. The Board includes Councillors from the Ards & North Down Borough Council.
John Heaslip - Co-Chair
John brings extensive experience from both the business and not-for-profit sectors. As Chairman and Managing Director of Coogan Watts Ltd., he led Northern Ireland’s largest flexible packaging distribution company. His commitment to social impact is evident in his role as the founder and former CEO of Business in the Community Northern Ireland, where he worked with businesses to advance corporate social responsibility across the region.
Currently, John serves as Chairman of Explor Group Ltd. and the Good Little Company Charitable Trust, as well as a Director of Action Renewables. John has raised over £250,000 for various charitable causes. He was honoured with the LVO in the 2006 New Year’s Honours. John is married to Vera, and they have two grown-up children.
Ian Greenway - Co-Chair
Iain has worked at senior levels in the GB, Irish and Northern Ireland Civil Service, for the first half of his career in the three Ordnance Surveys on these islands, After a period as Chief Executive of Ordnance Survey Northern Ireland, Iain has held a number of roles around rate collection, road safety and vehicle regulation, and the historic environment. He is currently Director of Culture in the Department for Communities.
Beyond his work, Iain was a coach and management committee member of Castle Juniors Football Club 2010-2023. He is also Chair of a surveying charity, the Aubrey Barker Fund; and Chair of the Board of Survey Review Ltd which publishes a peer-reviewed journal. Iain’s experience and qualifications cover the full range of organisational management and leadership, in both the public and charitable sectors. He has been a Member of the Trust since 2016.
Anne McKenna - Trustee
Anne joined the Trust in 2019, bringing extensive experience from her career in Public Service. She began in Social Security, where she supported claimants facing financial challenges and learned the complexities of the benefit system firsthand. After a decade, she transitioned to a management role in the Department of the Environment, overseeing housing grant legislation. This role involved collaborating with the legal team to ensure early consultations addressed fairness and equity in policy-making.
As Director of Operations in LPS, Anne managed critical resource functions, including Ministerial debt reduction targets and HR responsibilities. She led the first HR outsourcing contract, which required substantial system adjustments, staff retraining, and effective change management strategies. Since retiring in 2012, Anne has pursued wellness through Pilates, yoga, and meditation. Her passion for healthy living aligns with the Trust’s mission to promote wellness in the community.
Adam Harbinson - Trustee
Adam’s connection with the Board stretches back to 2013 when he was Chair of the Joint Management Committee, whose central role was to act as an information and management conduit between the Board and North Down Borough Council. As a Councillor he served on and Chaired a number of key Council Committees.
As a published author and newspaper columnist with many years experience in broadcasting, Adam is an effective communicator and is committed to playing a major role in promoting the life-enhancing potential of Bangor Aurora Aquatic & Leisure Complex.
He is an enthusiastic walker and has successfully completed over 20 marathons in Belfast and Dublin. These days he seeks to maintain a healthy holistic lifestyle by regular exercise, balanced by the practice of Mindful Meditation.
Wesley Irvine - Trustee
Wesley Irvine has been a trustee on the NCLT since 2013. Wesley has been a local councillor since 2005 and represent Bangor Central on Ards and North Down Borough Council. Wesley is a member of Ards and North Down Sports Forum and currently sits on the Community and Wellbeing community. Wesley is a senior caseworker at the office of Alex Easton MP.