Serco Leisure offering free entry for servicemen and women on July 4th

Serco Leisure will be welcoming former and serving servicemen and women, and their families, into its centres for free on July 4th.

This initiative is the brainchild of Leisure’s Midlands Partnership Director, Jamie Bryant, who spent 7 years in the military as a Royal Marines Commando from 1991 to 1998. Jamie recently returned from a trip to America, where he saw how important Memorial Day (the annual holiday to remember servicewomen and men who lost their lives fighting in armed conflicts) is to the people there, and it got him thinking about how the leisure industry could do more for services people in this country.

Jamie said:

“We’ve chosen July 4th (American Independence Day) as a nod to the respect Memorial Day gets in the states. It’s a huge event over there and something in the UK we should be aiming for.

“After leaving the forces, I struggled for a while to adapt to civilian life so I’ve got a lot of time for the men and women coming out of the military and trying to find their place. I’ve managed to build a great career at a great company, and any help Serco Leisure can give is nothing compared to the sacrifices these people have already made for their countries.

“We want to keep supporting service people, and letting them in free to our centres is just a small gesture of thanks from us at Serco Leisure. And as someone who spends a lot of my free time doing endurance events and training for them, I know how important keeping physically healthy is in maintaining a positive mental attitude.

“We’re hoping to see plenty of current and ex-service people, and their families on July 4th.”

Serco Leisure’s National Sales Manager, Simon Pittman and his team are currently developing membership options for people coming out of the forces.

Simon said:

“Offering discounted membership options for people coming out of the military just seems the right thing for us to do as a company. It’s a small gesture to reward this sometimes unheralded group of people.”

This offer includes free access to any of Serco Leisure’s centres throughout the UK for all serving and former military uniformed personnel, and their immediate families (RAF, Army and Navy). People will need to bring appropriate ID to access the offer.

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