Our leisure centres given almost £400k Covid lifeline
FUNDING AIMS TO HELP BOOST RECOVERY FROM PANDEMIC
NORTH East Lincolnshire leisure facilities, including Grimsby Leisure Centre and Cleethorpes Leisure Centre have been awarded a financial lifeline from the government after a tough year.
Following a joint bid by North East Lincolnshire Council and Lincs Inspire, facilities in the area have been awarded £397,000 of public leisure grant funding from the Government’s National Leisure Recovery Fund
More than 250 local authorities across England will benefit from the fund which was set up as a result of the pandemic to support the recovery of publicly-owned leisure centres and gyms.
It follows the Prime Minister’s ambition to ‘building back fitter’ from the coronavirus pandemic.
Sharon Wroot, executive director for environment, economy and resources at North East Lincolnshire Council, said: “This funding is crucial in helping to re-build the area’s public leisure services.
“Sports has a huge impact on improving physical and mental health, so it’s hugely important that our leisure facilities are available for local people to get back to the activities they have missed and to also to help local people recover from the pandemic.”
North East Lincolnshire’s public leisure facilities are managed by Lincs Inspire Limited, a charitable trust and non-profit making organisation.
Sue Wells, chief executive of Lincs Inspire, said: “We are incredibly grateful for the Government in making these funds available via local authorities and for the excellent partnership working with North East Lincolnshire Council that enabled the funding to be secured.
“Leisure centres play a vital role in helping people to be active and help them build immunity to fight infection. “This grant helps us to reopen and rebuild, enabling us to encourage local people to return to the sports and exercise they enjoy and importantly this also helps us to continue to support the local economy and our workforce. “As a charitable trust, our leisure activities and facilities are diverse and inclusive of our communities and there is something on offer for everyone. “We remove barriers to encourage active involvement, support personal development and bring people together to socialise, build friendships and improve their physical and mental wellbeing. We are determined to get through these challenging times and to welcome back existing customers and hopefully encourage some new ones too.”
As announced in the Government’s roadmap, leisure centres and gyms will be part of the Step Two reopening. Lincs Inspire will reopen from Monday, April 12, public swimming sessions and gyms will be available for individual socially distanced use, and from Monday, May 17, indoor adult group sports and exercise classes will be permitted to resume.
■ For further information about leisure centre reopening plans you can visit lincsinspire.com/covid/leisure.