What HIGH LIFE HIGHLAND does

High Life Highland is a Scottish charitable company limited by guarantee (SC407011; charity SC042593), established in 2011 by The Highland Council as an Arms Length External Organisation (ALEO) to deliver integrated cultural, learning, sport, leisure, health and wellbeing services across the Highland local authority area. Operationally it runs 28 leisure centres, the Highland Libraries Network (powered by Civica Spydus), the Highland Archive Service, multiple museums and visitor attractions (including the 2025-launched Inverness Castle Experience and Inverness Botanic Gardens), music tuition in Highland schools, Active Schools and community sport programmes, countryside ranger services, and a portfolio of NHS-referral health classes (cancer rehab, cardiac rehab, falls prevention, Parkinson's exercise, ESCAPE-pain, Type 2 diabetes, GP Movement & Activity, Physio Referral).

Its core commercial products are the Highlife Membership (individual from £29.99/month, family £44.99/month, no minimum contract or joining fee), the Active Scheme (70% discount for residents on full Council Tax Reduction), pay-as-you-go access, premium services such as Love to Swim and personal training at Inverness Leisure, corporate employee-wellbeing packages, space hire, and donations with Gift Aid recovery. The trading subsidiary HLH Trading C.I.C. captures non-charitable revenue streams including retail, food & beverage and tourism (Inverness Castle Experience, Oolio EPOS, Shopify archives shop, Ticket Tailor events).

Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer across the 28 leisure sites plus the website, mobile app (iOS/Android, QR-code entry and booking on Gladstone), Mailchimp email and broad social presence (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn); supplementary channels are corporate sales for employee wellbeing and NHS/GP-referral pathways into health classes. Underlying technology is operational rather than AI-native: Gladstone for leisure management, Civica/Spydus for libraries, Stripe/WorldPay/Dojo for payments, GB Group for member verification, Alchemer for surveys, and Technogym equipment in fitness suites. Pricing is reviewed annually with 10 days' notice. The organisation retains long-tenured staff (20–40 year service awards), runs its own i-care culture programme, and benefits from reciprocal access via the Leisure Link Partnership across nine Scottish regions.

Name

HIGH LIFE HIGHLAND

Legal name

High Life Highland

Website

https://highlifehighland.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

High Life Highland is a Scottish charitable ALEO of The Highland Council delivering integrated leisure, library, archive, museum, music, and community sport services across the Highlands, centred on a £29.99/month leisure membership covering 28 centres plus NHS-referral health programmes and tourism.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Inverness

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Recurring revenue from individual (£29.99/month), family (£44.99/month), and corporate employee wellbeing memberships. Includes Active Scheme with 70% discount for residents receiving full Council Tax Reduction.
2. Pay-as-you-go Access: One-time fees for facility access, fitness classes, swimming, and court hire without membership commitment.
3. Space and Facility Hire: Revenue from hiring meeting rooms, halls, courts, and event spaces to individuals and organizations.
4. Donations and Gift Aid: Charitable donations from members and visitors with Gift Aid recovery from HMRC at 25%
5. Retail and Food & Beverage: Revenue from museum shops, visitor centre retail, and food/beverage operations through the Trading subsidiary (HLH Trading C.I.C)
6. Premium Services: Additional revenue from premium offerings such as Love to Swim, personal training, and health suite subscriptions at Inverness Leisure

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

High Life Highland is a charitable company limited by guarantee that delivers community-facing services across the Scottish Highlands on behalf of The Highland Council. Its core offering centres on a membership-based leisure platform providing access to 28 leisure centres with gyms, swimming pools, fitness classes, and sports facilities, complemented by free public library services, archive services, museums and visitor attractions, music tuition, community sport programmes, countryside ranger services, and venue hire.

Product overview

High Life Highland operates as a multi-service charitable organisation delivering community services across the Highlands through two primary channels: a membership-based leisure platform and diverse public service offerings. The core Highlife Membership (starting at £29.99/month individual, £44.99/month family) provides access to 25+ leisure centres, pools, fitness classes, and courts, powered by Gladstone leisure management software with Technogym equipment. The mobile app enables real-time class booking, QR entry, and membership management. Supporting services include free library membership (Civica Spydus system), music tuition, community sport programmes, museums and visitor attractions, countryside services, and venue hire. The Active Scheme provides subsidised 70% discounted access for residents on full Council Tax Reduction. Leisure Link Partnership enables cross-region access across Scottish leisure trusts. The organisation delivers services on behalf of The Highland Council as an Arms Length External Organisation (ALEO), with services spanning health and wellbeing, learning, culture, sport, and community engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Highlife Membership
• Family Membership
• Active Scheme
• Leisure Link Partnership
• High Life Highland Mobile App
• Library Services
• Highland Archive Service
• Museums and Visitor Attractions
• Music Tuition
• Community Sport
• Health and Wellbeing Classes
• Countryside Services
• Space for Hire
• Employee Wellbeing Membership
• Learn to Swim Programme

Quantifiable outcome

• 70% discount on activities for Active Scheme members receiving full Council Tax Reduction
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration14 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Harry Fairbairn BMW InvernessminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 27 May 2015Corporate sponsorship partnership providing a BMW 3 series vehicle for High Life Highland staff travel across the region, helping reduce travel costs. The jointly branded vehicle supports reciprocal marketing objectives. Partnership announced in 2015 and continues as of 2026.
• Leisure Link PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-region partnership allowing High Life card holders to access public swimming and fitness classes at leisure centres across Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Argyll and Bute, the Borders, Highland, Moray, Orkney, Shetland and The Western Isles at no extra cost.
• The Highland CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization and sole shareholder. High Life Highland is an Arms Length External Organisation (ALEO) established by The Highland Council in 2011. The Council provides financial support and governance oversight.
• NHS HighlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partnership for health and wellbeing programmes including GP Movement & Activity Programme, Physio Referral Programme, Cancer Rehab, Cardiac Rehab, and emergency information sharing.
• SportscotlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational sports body as member of Highland Athlete Travel Award Scheme assessment panel and for national monitoring of participation in sport.
• StagecoachminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOverall sponsor for the 2023 i-care Awards ceremony held at Strathpeffer Pavilion.
• Strathpeffer Pavilion Community TrustminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVenue partner for the 2023 i-care Awards ceremony.
• Harry Fairbairn BMWminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAutomotive sponsorship partnership providing vehicle support for staff travel across the Highland region.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• GLL (Better): GLL is the UK's largest charitable leisure trust, operating over 250 leisure and cultural facilities under the 'Better' brand on behalf of local authorities. It is a directly comparable ALEO/leisure trust model to High Life Highland, with similar council partnership, multi-service community mandate, and membership-based offering, but at materially greater scale.

Direct peers

• Glasgow Life: Glasgow Life is the ALEO of Glasgow City Council delivering culture, sport, and learning services including leisure centres, museums, libraries, and community facilities. It shares High Life Highland's ALEO structure and broad cultural-leisure portfolio model, with the most analogous mix of sport, libraries, museums, and community programming.
• Sport Aberdeen: Sport Aberdeen is a charitable trust operating leisure facilities, sports development, and community programmes in Aberdeen on behalf of Aberdeen City Council. It is a direct geographic and operational peer to High Life Highland, with a similar subscription membership model and council partnership structure in the North of Scotland.
• Edinburgh Leisure: Edinburgh Leisure is a Scottish charitable leisure trust operating multiple leisure centres, golf courses, and community sports facilities on behalf of Edinburgh Council. It is one of the closest direct comparables to High Life Highland, with a similar council-owned, multi-facility, subscription-based leisure model in a Scottish urban context.
• Fusion Lifestyle: Fusion Lifestyle is a UK charitable leisure trust managing leisure and cultural facilities for local authorities. It shares High Life Highland's subscription membership model, council partnership structure, and multi-facility community service delivery approach.
• Everyone Active: Everyone Active is the consumer brand of GLL, operating hundreds of leisure centres across the UK on a subscription membership model. It is comparable to High Life Highland in core product (membership-based leisure access) and target customer, and competes in overlapping catchments.
• Places Leisure: Places Leisure operates leisure facilities, libraries, and community services on behalf of local authorities in England, with a charitable trust structure and council partnership model analogous to High Life Highland. It competes in the same operational space of council-commissioned leisure management.
• Live Life Aberdeenshire: Live Life Aberdeenshire is the ALEO of Aberdeenshire Council operating leisure centres, cultural venues, and community services across a rural North-East Scotland geography. It is one of the closest comparables to High Life Highland given the similar rural operating environment, multi-service community mandate, and council-owned structure.

Emerging players

• Active Nation: Active Nation is a UK charity operating leisure facilities and community sport programmes with a focus on increasing participation. It is comparable to High Life Highland in mission, charitable status, and community sport delivery, though typically smaller in scale and facility footprint.

Others

• Community Leisure UK: Community Leisure UK is the trade association representing charitable leisure trusts and cultural organisations across the UK, including High Life Highland. It is an enabling/ecosystem peer rather than a competitor, but provides relevant industry benchmarking, policy advocacy, and sector intelligence.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/highlifehighland
• Facebookfacebook.com/HighLifeHighland
• Instagraminstagram.com/highlifehighland
• TikToktiktok.com/@highlifehighland
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/high-life-highland
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCtv3YPuy3YW3z3lTvvdKj1w

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HIGH LIFE HIGHLAND