All we know about leisure centres re-opening in your area

Tendring Council run centres in Harwich, Dovercourt, Manningtree, Clacton, Brightlingsea and Walton are scheduled to re-open as part of the Fit Together campaign run by industry trade body ukactive.

The campaign is based on the Government’s guidelines for re-opening, which were supported by ukactive and approved by independent scientific advisors.

Re-opening: Clacton Leisure Centre

Here are the changes which will be enforced: 

• Signs will be in place to guide centre users on how to act safely while using equipment or facilities, and visitors will notice a number of changes.
• All fitness classes, gym and swimming sessions must be pre-booked, so user numbers can be managed effectively.
• Changing rooms and showers will be unavailable for gym and class users, so visitors are asked to arrive on site wearing the appropriate clothing to be active, and not to bring gym towels to reduce the risk of cross-contamination.
• Changing facilities will still be available for pool users.
• Gym equipment where possible has been moved to allow for social distancing, swimming lanes will be reduced and widened, fitness classes have been relocated into larger areas within some centres and we are exploring the option in taking classes outside.
• Water fountains will be out of use, so visitors are encouraged to bring their own bottled water.
• Along with social distancing restrictions, there will be an increase in the cleaning of equipment and sanitisation stations.
• The spa facility at Clacton Leisure Centre will remain closed as it cannot be operated under social distancing, and outdoor sports pitches are also unavailable except for racket sports.
• Temporary measures will be adapted as and when government and industry advice changes throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
• For the first month, only over-16s will be allowed to visit while users and staff adapt to the changes.

Across Tendring: Dovercourt Bay Lifestyles is set to open in July

Alex Porter, Tendring Council's cabinet member for leisure and tourism, reassured the public that its facilities would be safe – but advised people to call if they have concerns.

“Since 20 March our leisure centres have been closed, meaning members and casual users have been unable to access some of their favourite activities and sports,” Mr Porter said.

“However, we have spent that time wisely.

"Staff have still been doing all the checks you would expect, as well as putting in place these additional measures, so that we will be ready to open when we get the go-ahead from Government.

“We’ve also taken the opportunity of having empty buildings to carry out some refurbishment work, such as installing new lights, repairing pool tank tiling and painting."

It is proposed that from August memberships will be at 50 per cent rate as not all services will be available.

Huw Edwards, chief executive of ukactive, said: “We know that people have missed being active together in our facilities, and ukactive’s Fit Together campaign shows that customer and staff safety will be our number one priority when they return."