01/09/2025
🚲 From Raleigh Burners to 20 Years of Impact 🏀
After 20 incredible years, Andy Heald and Danny Melling have made the decision to step away from running their Premier Education/Sport franchise.
It feels like the right moment to close this chapter, but before we do, we wanted to look back with gratitude and pride.
1986 — two lads from the same street in Leigh, riding our Raleigh Burners, making memories the way kids should: outdoors, active, and having fun. Those simple experiences shaped us and they’ve driven everything we’ve done since. Because we’ve always believed that children should be playing, moving, and growing through sport.
Fast forward to 20 years ago, when we started our Premier journey. From a back room of the house, through recessions, government changes, the rise of the digital age, the obesity pandemic, and even COVID, one thing stayed the same: our purpose. To give young people the same opportunities we had growing up.
The second picture takes us back to our very first 12 months in business, working alongside Olympic gold medallist Duncan Goodhew, Andy Burnham (now Mayor of Greater Manchester), and of course the real stars of the show: the children. Many of those young people we taught in schools are now leading their own lives, with some even coming back to work for us, and some of our past employees moving on to become great leaders themselves.
Together and later joined by Alistair as a Director, we’re proud of the legacy we’ve built, not just jobs and programmes, but real change in people’s lives.
Now, while our time with Premier has come to an end, we’re staying local and excited for what the future holds.
To every child, parent, colleague, teacher, and friend who’s been part of this ride — thank you. You’ve been at the heart of this journey from day one. 💙
Here’s to the memories, and here’s to the next chapter.
Andy, Danny & Alistair
