BEHIND THE SCENES AT ATLANTIS

Shorter days might mean less daylight and cooler temperatures but we’re loving the beautiful display Oban puts on at this time of year with crisp air and stunning autumn colours.

Here’s what’s been happening at Atlantis as we pass into a new month and a new season:

Improvements

Last time, we told you about a project to upgrade Atlantis’ wifi system.

The original project didn’t include work to the Squash Lounge but we’ve felt the difference so positively elsewhere in the building that this month we extended coverage to include high speed access in the lounge.

This month saw significant repairs carried out to the sports hall roof. We struggled to find a suitable weather window to carry these out, but managed towards the end of October. We even had to wait for the roof to thaw on the day of repairs, how’s that for the changing of the seasons! This was a vital piece of maintenance and repair ahead of readying the sports hall for activity once the gym moves back to its usual home.

After years of faithful service, our pool hoover broke down this month.

With such a vital piece of equipment, it’s a helpful reminder of how reliant we are on our kit to operate Atlantis safely every day. Whilst we wait for our replacement to arrive, Mallaig Community Pool is helping us out with the loan of one of theirs to see us through. Thank you Mallaig.

This month also saw the annual service of our tennis courts and MUGA pitch. An important part of our yearround Atlantis is ready to welcome back young climbers, with the climbing cube having been reset by professional routers and, inset, Mika will be running the climbing classes. maintenance, the work prepares the surface for the coming winter season.

Programme

A very warm Atlantis welcome to Helen Gilbertson who has joined our group fitness programme offering yoga classes.

We’re also looking forward to welcoming back our young climbers to the climb cube. Climbing is returning for primary and secondary school children, with tuition from Mika Schröder. This coincides with a reset of the cube and we can’t wait to figure out the new challenges set by our professional routers after their visit.

Squash club

Oban Tennis and Squash Club hosted squash coach Martin Woods this month.

Martin is a Level 4 coach from Scotstoun Eagles and used his visit to help upskill and motivate our squash players.

Check out Oban Squash Club on Facebook to find out more about this visit and all the other plans the club has as squash returns to Atlantis.

Staff

Training and development continues in the staff team, with Erin O’Rourke being supported through her Level 2 gym instructor qualification this month.

All the very best to Katie MacCorquodale who left Atlantis in September to study Geography at Stirling University.

We’re looking forward to having Katie back at Atlantis during the holidays.

We’re really proud of Natasha Bryan, too, as she was successful in obtaining a scholarship to Germany to continue her Masters degree in marine science.

Whilst we’ll be sorry to see Natasha go, it’s a fantastic opportunity. Well done.