Better, the charitable social enterprise that operates legacy venues across Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on behalf of London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) has been invited to join Public Health England’s drive to boost the uptake of the Covid vaccination amongst young people.

Better is the only leisure operator in the country to be involved in the initiative and joins a number of leading businesses across different sectors such as Asda, National Express and Uber, to have pledged their support for the UK’s vaccination programme, by offering incentives to vaccinated customers.

Better is offering anyone between the age of 16 and 30 years a £10 voucher to be used against any membership at a Better-operated leisure facility and a three-day free pass to any of its leisure centres or gyms.

Participating leisure centres in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park include:

Copper Box Arena

London Aquatics Centre

In order to take up the offer, local residents living on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park need to need to complete the form available on the Better website https://www.better.org.uk/healthy-communities and follow the simple instructions. Customers will need to present their vaccination card or alternative proof on their first visit to the centre.

Mark Sesnan, Managing Director at Better said:

“As soon as we heard about the campaign to incentivise young people to get vaccinated, we wanted to get involved.  As the UK’s largest operator of municipal leisure facilities, we know the value of regular exercise on our mental and physical health and this has been further highlighted during the pandemic.  We also know that having all adults double vaccinated plays a crucial role in our battle against COVID-19, so we wanted to help.

“We hope that by offering free passes and discount vouchers to our 235 gyms, leisure and sports centres across the UK, we will encourage many more young people to take up their vaccine.”

Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said:

“Over 70% of young people aged 18 to 29 have now had their first jab – another superb milestone in our historic vaccination programme.

"A big thank you to all the companies who are helping us to protect the country – I urge everyone to get the jab and get shopping with these excellent discounts.”

Teenagers within three months of turning 18 can now book their vaccine appointment online through the National Booking Service or by calling 119. Vaccination sites across the country are working hard to complete the rollout with more than 300 sites already offering the jab to 16 and 17 year olds, including GP teams who began vaccinating eligible teens last week.