Aura helping community get a healthy lifestyle

In Aura Leisure, they don’t just talk the talk, they walk the walk. Bright signs in the reception of the St Alphonsus Road pool and leisure centre spell out the company’s mission statement of helping the community be happy and healthier.

‘Aura - where people feel better’ is not just a catchy phrase but a statement of fact, if operations manager Josephine Pepper has anything to do with it.

Brimming with enthusiasm on a spring morning, where a group of mothers and toddlers are splashing in the kids’ pool, she talks of working to create ‘ happy and healthy communities’ throughout Ireland.

‘We are not just a local leisure facility but are very much involved in the community, in helping to train and educate people towards being happier and healthier.’

She firmly believes that the two things are closely linked and points out that a lot of what they do is not ‘for profit or commercially driven’ but inspired by a belief that they have a social and moral obligation towards the community.

‘Our enduring purpose is to improve the health and well being of our communities through exercise, sport and active lifestyles.’

‘We have done a lot of work on defining our vision and values and when we recruit staff, they are aware of these values,’ she explains. ‘We do a huge among of staff training and team building and have been nominated as one of the best places to work.’

Aura has worked in partnership with Louth County Council to run the Aura Dundalk leisure centre since March 2001. ‘We serve a large customer base of members and ‘Pay As You Go’ customers in the Dundalk area, as well as the many schools, local clubs and community groups and swim academy programmes we also welcome into our centres every day,’ she says.

As part of their on-going work on inclusiveness, they are working with Move 4 Parkinsons and DKIT Sport to design and deliver exercise classes for those with Parkinsons, as well as providing facilities for those with special needs.

An initiative focusing on mental health saw them release a series of videos of Bressie in conversation with Ben, a DKIT student, pitch attendant, and lifeguard with Aura and DKIT Sport.

‘Healthy living and good mental health go hand in hand and we want to help people enjoy the benefits of both.’