Two leisure centres in North West Leicestershire are set to reopen after being closed for more than four months due to coronavirus.
The gyms and group exercise studios at Hood Park Leisure Centre, in Ashby, and Hermitage Leisure Centre, in Whitwick near Coalville, will reopen on Saturday, July 25.
All other facilities – including the leisure centre pools – will reopen at a later date.
The Government update on July 9 confirmed that leisure centres are now able to reopen facilities, with strict operational measures in place.
According to Everyone Active, which manages the two centres for North West Leicestershire District Council, its procedures will ensure social distancing is managed throughout the centres and regular cleaning will be maintained.
Dan Hicks, Everyone Active’s regional contract manager, said: “We’re very much looking forward to reopening the centres and welcoming back the local community.
(Image: BPM)
“After being closed for nearly four months, this latest announcement from Government is the news the leisure industry has been eagerly awaiting. Giving people the opportunity to resume activity and exercise in their leisure centre will go a long way to maintaining the good health of local communities.
“We’ve been overwhelmed with the support we have received from customers during these unprecedented times, and we’re so grateful. Like many other industries, leisure has been greatly affected by the lockdown.
“Ensuring our colleagues and customers remain safe is our number one priority and we have carefully considered the strict measurements to ensure we adhere to the guidance.
“We will be contacting all customers directly over the coming days regarding the centres reopening.
“We look forward to welcoming everyone back and thanking them for their patience.”
Councillor Andrew Woodman, Portfolio Holder for Community Services at North West Leicestershire District Council, said: “The health and wellbeing of our communities is of critical importance, and reopening leisure centres in a safe way is a key step towards returning to a healthy and active ‘new normal’.
“We’ve been working closely with Everyone Active, with the safety of customers taking top priority, and it’s excellent news that people can return to these centres with confidence from 25 July.”
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While its 200 leisure centres across the country have been closed, Everyone Active launched a range of online workouts for people to do during lockdown, and also streamed live classes across its social media pages.
It also pledged to donate half the cost of a membership to charity – The National Emergencies Trust – if customers continued to pay.
Consequently, the operator raised more than £400,000 for those most in need during the pandemic.
