Bournemouth, Health & Lifestyle | Posted on September 5th, 2025 | return to news

BH Live celebrates finalist spot in national award

The Recreation manager at BH Live Active Littledown has been shortlisted as a Physical Activity Hero finalist in the 2025 ukactive awards.

Jo Weedall was selected from hundreds of nominations across the country for her dedication to improving lives through physical activity and making the much-loved community leisure centre a safe space for all.

With more than 36 years of leisure experience, Jo joined Littledown as a lifeguard when the centre first opened in 1989. Since then, her career has spanned many roles.

Her work now reaches across other BH Live Active centres, and she works tirelessly with her team to make them safe places to enjoy sport and leisure.

The ukactive awards is one of the UK’s largest awards ceremonies for the fitness and physical activity sector to celebrate both the industry and the people who power it.

One of Jo’s responsibilities is to make sure her team is trained to high standards to provide a fast response when things don’t quite go as planned – this includes injuries and responding to unexpected health issues. Regular team drills, intensive training to industry standards and simulations means that Jo and her team are always ready to spring into action to help others. This can be in the pools, on the sports pitches, courts and halls, in the gym and on the many other attractions that BH Live operates.

This dedication and hard work literally saves lives. Over the course of her career, she has directly performed more than 10 successful resuscitations and supervised many more. Furthermore last year, Jo was personally commended by the DSAA (Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance) for her “rapid” and “outstanding” administration of CPR and defibrillation to a visitor who experienced cardiac arrest at the centre.

Jo said: “I’m so pleased to be named a finalist for the Physical Activity Hero category at the ukactive Awards. This recognition reflects the incredible support I’ve received from colleagues, partners, and the community. I’m grateful for the opportunity to do work that makes a positive difference across my local communities.”

BH Live Active, Littledown is managed and operated by registered charity BH Live in partnership with BCP Council. Its geographical reach spans across multiple venues, leisure centres, and attractions across Dorset, Hampshire, and in Croydon.

On behalf of BH Live, Rob Cunningham, director of Leisure and Business Development, said: “We are all so thrilled for Jo and are immensely proud of what she has achieved over her career. This nomination reflects the positive difference Jo has made to people’s lives. Jo’s impact is far-reaching and deeply valued by the hundreds of people she has trained and mentored over the years, to the lives she has saved. I want to wholeheartedly thank and congratulate Jo for her hard work – she really is our Physical Activity Hero.”

The winner of the Physical Activity Hero award will be decided in an industry vote through ukactive’s members. The winners of the 2025 ukactive awards will be announced on Thursday 30 October 2025 at the ICC Birmingham. Finalists will gather to celebrate excellence across the leisure industry.