Plea to public to support sports and leisure centres

Fife’s leading provider of sports and leisure services is appealing to customers for support as it waits for the green light to reopen its facilities.

Fife Sports and Leisure Trust is backing the #saveleisure campaign by Community Leisure UK, to highlight nearly half of public leisure facilities in the UK face permanent closure by the end of the year, unless local authorities receive urgent funding from the government.

The kingdom organisation looks like losing at least £5 million due to the outbreak.

Emma Walker, chief executive for Fife Sports and Leisure Trust, said: “We know our customers are keen to get back to our facilities, however we would like to appeal for patience and support while we deliver our reopening programme – we operate 14 leisure facilities across Fife and each one is different and some will lend themselves more readily to social distancing measures than others.”

She urged MSPs, councillors and the public to lobby the government for support.

The trust is proposing a phased reopening programme that will see Michael Woods Sports and Leisure Centre in Glenrothes, Carnegie Leisure Centre in Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy Leisure Centre opening doors first, followed by East Sands Leisure Centre, Levenmouth Swimming Pool and Sports Centre, Cowdenbeath Leisure Centre and Dalgety Bay Leisure Centre.

The next phase will see Duloch Leisure Centre, Pitreavie Athletics Centre, Cupar Leisure Centre, Bowhill Swimming Pool, Lumphinnans Sports Hub and Waterstone Crook Leisure Centre welcoming customers, followed by the Beacon Leisure Centre.