It’s time to get back in the swim and gym
Fitness facilities and pools reopen doors after coronavirus closures
RESIDENTS are getting back to the gym and swimming lanes as Loughborough leisure centre reopens to the public.
Charnwood Borough Council, which owns the Loughborough, Soar Valley and South Charnwood leisure centres, has worked closely with its leisure partner Fusion to reopen the centres after they closed at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Loughborough leisure centre opened its doors again on Monday and visitors have been able to use both the health and fitness and swimming pool facilities.
South Charnwood and Soar Valley centres have also reopened their health and fitness facilities and swimming pools.
Cllr Leigh Harper-Davies, lead member for communities and equalities said: “It’s been great to see Loughborough leisure centre reopen today. We’ve seen a positive number of people returning to South Charnwood and Soar Valley and I hope people will also enjoy coming back to Loughborough.
“Together with our partner Fusion, we’ve worked hard to reopen the leisure centres as soon as possible. The council has committed money to reopen the centres which is why it took a little longer to get all three open again.
“I’d like to thank customers of the leisure centres for their patience over the past few weeks and I hope they can now enjoy either a swim, fitness class or session at the gym.
“I would also like to remind customers that the centres are operating slightly differently to adhere to government guidance and to ensure people’s safety.
“Looking after your health and mental wellbeing is probably more important than ever so please make use of these excellent facilities.”
Fusion has put measures in place as more facilities reopen to ensure customers’ safety. Steps being taken include managing capacity by asking customers to pre-book classes, gym and swim sessions, spacing equipment at least two metres apart with social distancing markers and increasing the amount of cleaning.
Anthony Cawley, director of operations at Fusion said: “We know our leisure facilities are really important for the health and wellbeing of the local community and we are really pleased that we are able to announce the opening of more of our facilities in a safe and viable way and that we can welcome back our Swim School members later this month too.
“We would like to thank Charnwood Borough Council for their ongoing support during this time.”
The council’s cabinet approved a recommendation in August to pay a subsidy of £367,000 to keep the pools and gyms at all three centres open until April 2021. The situation will need to be reviewed again before then.
Other options were also considered, including not reopening the pools or not reopening all the leisure centres.
For more information about each leisure centre, visit https:// www. fusion- lifestyle. com/contracts/charnwood/