 |
Gyms, pools and leisure centres reopen – collective responsibility 'crucial' for safe operations
27 Jul 2020
Health clubs, swimming pools, leisure centres and other indoor sports facilities have reopened to the public for the first time since March.
In order to reopen legally, gyms and leisure facilities must meet the requirements set out by the government's official guidance (titled Operating safely during COVID-19 for providers of grassroots sport and gym/leisure facilities, click here to read), which includes a focus on maintaining social distancing and cleanliness.
Some operators, such as David Lloyd Clubs and Trib3, took the opportunity to throw open their doors at the earliest opportunity – at midnight on 25 July.
One of the sites to open early was the Trib3 studio in Sheffield, which opened shortly after midnight.
"Trib3 Sheffield was among the first fitness facilities to open in the UK, following lockdown, with a 00.15am one-of-a-kind class," said Kevin Yates, CEO.
"The session was fully booked – to physical distancing guidelines.
"The rest of the day at the studio was also fully booked, with waiting lists across our UK studios."
At David Lloyd Club's Hampton site, members queued up in the night to be welcomed back by staff, before taking part in a Blaze-branded HIIT class.
Glenn Earlam, CEO at David Lloyd Clubs, said: “It’s been a long time coming. We didn’t want to wait a second longer than necessary to mark this moment, and that’s why we’ve held what we believe is England’s very first post-lockdown indoor exercise class – which has taken place at midnight exactly 126 days since our last classes.
"To see our members back in the club at David Lloyd Hampton after all this time was a fantastic moment and we can’t wait to see the rest of our members now return to enjoy our premium health, fitness and wellbeing facilities.”
As facilities return to operations, all eyes will be on attendance levels, as operators seek to gauge the public's appetite for returning to fitness following the lockdown.
Publicly listed operator, The Gym Group (TGG), has said it has retained 80 per cent of its members during lockdown, while internal research shows it expects 92 per cent to return.
Not all operators, however, have restarted operations. While leisure centres can now open, roughly a third of England's publicly-owned facilities have remained shut.
According to Community Leisure UK, almost half of all public leisure facilities (48 per cent) are at risk of permanent closure by the end of the year without financial support from the government.
It is also feared that a "second wave" nationally – or smaller outbreaks of COVID-19 locally – could cause a setback and force further closures.
Culture minister, Oliver Dowden, said that the government is monitoring the situation and would act quickly to implement local lockdowns, such as the one in the city of Leicester.
"If there is any evidence of an escalation of COVID-19, we would not hesitate to take action, including local lockdowns," he said.
To assist safe operations and to help prevent infections, the government has published operational guidance for those working across the reopened sectors, which can be read here.
Industry body ukactive has called for the physical activity sector to demonstrate the "highest standards of health and safety" – and reinforced the collective responsibility and accountability of operators to follow the government’s guidance.
“Our members now have the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment, responsibility and accountability for public health, by maintaining the highest possible standards of health and safety," said ukactive CEO Huw Edwards.
“While reopening is an important milestone, we are not yet out of the woods and some facilities and services will remain closed due to the ongoing financial pressures and restrictions caused by COVID-19."
back
|
| Latest member news |
 |
|
Community Leisure UK’s Active Kindness project celebrates after being awarded £651,003 in National Lottery funding
Active Kindness, a volunteering programme which previously received Sport England
funding, is celebrating after receiving vital National Lottery funding to leverage
the power of volunteering across public leisure and culture to create greater
community cohesion, stronger personal development of individuals and increase the
diversity of those taking part in health, wellbeing, and creative programmes.
read more...
Edinburgh Leisure Appoints New Chief Executive
Edinburgh-based physical activity charity, Edinburgh Leisure, has announced the
appointment of a new Chief Executive.
read more...
Withington Baths Receives Sports England Grant to Accelerate its Carbon Footprint Reduction Efforts
Love Withington Baths, the non-profit organisation that operates Withington Baths
and co-working space Withington Works, has announced exciting plans to
significantly reduce its carbon footprint and enhance energy efficiency thanks to
a £105K grant secured from Sport England under the Government’s Swimming Pool
Support Fund.
read more...
GLL Celebrate £140k Arts Council Funding
VR headsets, IT hublets and improved seating, shelving and flooring are on their
way to Lye Library, Dudley thanks to funding from the Arts Council.
read more...
Much-Loved Library to Receive Grant Funding of Nearly £400,000
One of Redbridge's most popular libraries will benefit from a significant
modernisation programme after being awarded nearly £400,000 in grant funding.
read more...
Horizon Leisure Scoops Prize at Portsmouth Business Awards
Horizon Leisure, which operates Havant leisure Centre and Waterlooville Leisure
Centre, was crowned Community Business of the Year at the Portsmouth Business
Awards earlier this year.
read more...
Portsmouth Tennis Centre celebrated for bringing tennis to all
Portsmouth Tennis Centre has been recognised by the LTA Tennis Awards for bringing
tennis to under-represented groups and communities throughout the city.
read more...
|
|
Wellness Hub Breaks Down Barriers to Tackle Health Inequalities in North East Lincolnshire
A new report on Lincs Inspire’s Wellness Hub has revealed the difference it is
making to community health.
read more...
Grant from Parkinson’s UK Gives Green Light to New Cycle Classes
Everybody Health & Leisure has launched a dedicated group cycling classes for
people living with Parkinson's Disease.
read more...
Doncaster Culture and Leisure Trust score partnership with Club Doncaster
Doncaster Culture and Leisure Trust (DCLT) and Club Doncaster have agreed a
partnership that will see DCLT as an official sponsor of the Dons RLFC and sponsor
of two Belles players.
read more...
BPL Achieves Swim England’s Water Wellbeing Accreditation
AWARD winning community leisure trust BPL has achieved Swim England’s Water
Wellbeing accreditation.
read more...
Edinburgh Leisure Scale New Heights Following £100,000 Boost
Edinburgh Leisure’s flagship climbing arena at Ratho has benefitted from a major
funding investment from sportscotland’s Sport Facilities Fund.
read more...
78-year-old George’s marvellous weightlifting medicine
Almost an octogenarian, George Travis is still hammering out kettle bell classes
as an Active Tameside fitness instructor.
read more...
Cefn Hengoed Leisure Centre Gets Massive Makeover
A Swansea leisure centre has been totally revamped with a £7.5 million investment.
read more...
|
| Business partner news |
|
|
|
|
09 Apr 2024
Oxygen Consulting deep dives into padel with forthcoming report
Oxygen Consulting is about to launch its first UK Padel Report, which
investigates this fast-growing sport.
read more...
05 Apr 2024
Ronaldo crashes the app store with launch of new wellness, fitness and health app, Erakulis
Portugese footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo, has launched a health and wellness app that harmonises
advice on fitness, nutrition and mental wellness in one seamless experience.
read more...
04 Apr 2024
New research shows BMI fails as a measure of childhood obesity, leading to flawed policy
Waist circumference-to-height ratio is a more reliable measure of obesity in children and
adolescents than BMI according to a new study, published in Pediatric Research.
read more...
28 Mar 2024
4Global and UK Active launch private sector health club benchmarking
The first annual Private Sector Benchmarking report was released today (27 March). A
collaboration between UK Active and 4Global, the aim of the research is to provide accurate
insight into the state of UK-based private sector health clubs.
read more...
|
|
27 Mar 2024
Egym snaps up Hussle as it moves to dominate the corporate wellness market with its Wellpass product
Egym, has signalled its intention to become a dominant force in the corporate wellness sector
with the acquisition of UK-based aggregator, Hussle.
read more...
26 Mar 2024
Total Fitness turns a profit as it beats pre-COVID membership
Total Fitness has released results for its most recent financial year (to June 23), which saw a
return to pre-COVID membership levels following a year-on-year uplift in membership numbers
of 5 per cent.
read more...
25 Mar 2024
Entrepreneurs share secrets of building a fitness business at PerformX
Enjoy building your business because the journey can be as good or better than the destination
was one takeaway of the industry titans’ panel on empire building, comprised of three industry
entrepreneurs.
read more...
22 Mar 2024
Myzone removes the hardware barrier with launch of MZ-Open, making its system available on smart watches
Myzone is now available on smart watches, allowing Android and AppleWatch wearers to record
workouts without an additional device, and taking the tech company into the multi-billion dollar
smart watch market.
read more...
|
|
|
|
| General Meetings |
 |
|
CLUK General Meeting
15 May 2024: Glasgow
|
| Special Interest Groups |
|
|
Social Value
16 April 2024
|
Volunteering
24 April 2024
|
Finance
2 May 2024
|
|
For more information about Special Interest Group and regional / national members meetings, please contact [email protected]
|
| Job vacancies |
|
|
Team Leader (Harrow School Fitness Club)
Salary: £13.71 per hour
Location: Harrow on the Hill, Harrow, UK
Company: Harrow School
Read more and apply
|
Centre Manager (Leisure)
Salary: £40,221 - £42,403pa + pension + benefits
Location: Exeter, UK
Company: Exeter City Council
Read more and apply
|
Director of Operations
Salary: £61,000 - £64,000 + exceptional pension + excellent benefits
Location: Luton, UK
Company: Active Luton
Read more and apply
|
Membership Manager
Salary: £29,605 - £32,982pa + pension + benefits
Location: Coventry, UK
Company: University of Warwick
Read more and apply
|
Chief Executive Officer, Mount Batten Centre
Salary: c£65,000pa + pension + benefits
Location: Plymouth, UK
Company: Mount Batten Group
Read more and apply
|
|
