Staff development and training programmes to facilitate much of this and continue the cultural and organisational change programmes have continued , working with the trade unions , and staff groups including the Staff Forum . A new appraisal process has been developed after consultation with staff , and leadership and a management training programmes are ongoing .
Work to improve performance continues , and the transformation of the different business elements that comprise the trust in terms of the customer journey is ongoing . Recent training and development work in Sports Venues has been successful , and is running in parallel with management training programmes including peer-led training , coaching and mentoring . This year 99 % of our customers at our Community Facilities were satisfied with our services .
Sports venues will now move to undertake Customer Service Excellence , this year awarded to the libraries for the 8th year running , and with the best performance to date – a fantastic achievement , capping a year which saw the library at the Foundry secure the prestigious Edge Award for the first time , and Barrhead itself win a national award for regeneration . Over 2,000 people came to celebrate the Foundry ’ s first year birthday at a special party , which together with the 350,000 who used the Foundry over the course of the year , pointed to its special place in the life of the community .
As well as the investment in the Foundry , 2015 saw the refurbishment of Clarkston Hall , and smaller upgrades to Eastwood Park Leisure Centre .
Our commitment to the strategic aims outlined above strengthens our understanding of the power of culture and sport to build sustainable economies ; to strengthen community empowerment and to tackle inequalities . Examples of work we have pioneered this year that does just this are our disability swimming programme , which marked its first hugely successful year with an awards ceremony in March at Eastwood House .
Our Tackling Summer Hunger programme built on the work of our successful summer programme which for over a decade has provided healthy meals for vulnerable children out of term time . This year it included cookery masterclasses alongside professional chefs , and 86 % of the eligible children in Barrhead took part .
We know there different people face different barriers to enjoying an active lifestyle , and part of our challenge is to devise ways of removing them . To be able to learn to swim is a skill most of us take for granted but for many people with particular religious or cultural beliefs , modesty issues and a lack of women-only sessions with female coaches and lifeguards , prevent them from enjoying swimming . This year we began our dedicated Black and Minority Ethnic Swimming sessions . The sessions have given some women an opportunity they have never had , and they were hugely successful . We will be expanding them in the coming months .
In sports centres , sports development and libraries attendances are at a five-year high , reflecting a lot of the changes and improvements made by front-line staff , supervisors , team leaders and managers in the first year of operation which are too numerous to detail , but which are underpinning a move to a culture of continuous improvement , the empowerment of staff and a drive to be not only improving , but competitive ; efficient as well as effective .
The fact that the transition to the Trust has been so smooth is in no small part down to the professionalism , creativity , commitment and hard work of the staff , to which I have to pay tribute . Meanwhile , they have not lost focus on delivering excellent services for the people of East Renfrewshire , and some outstanding results – including achieving the best results in five years in key areas - speak for themselves . It has been a genuine pleasure working with colleagues in the Trust this year , and for that , as much as the success they are bringing to our work , I would like to say thank you .
ANTHONY MCREAVY CHIEF EXECUTIVE