Public leisure centres gradually reopening at Bourne, Deepings and Stamford

1Life, which manages the centre on behalf of owners South Kesteven District Council, said it re-opened Bourne Leisure Centres on Monday with Deepings Leisure Centre anticipated to follow on August 10 and Stamford at a later point.

Following advice and guidance from the Government as well as the fitness trade body ukactive and their independent scientific advisers, not to mention 1Life’s own vigorous health and safety procedures, the final touches have been made to re-open safely for members, the community and staff.

The move comes as thousands of gyms and leisure centres began to re-open from Saturday July 25. 1Life says it has taken this time to “upskill, upgrade and redefine” its health and safety procedures as well as its operating standards to ensure social distancing and hygiene is at the highest levels.

Changes within the facilities mean that it is safe for people to exercise at a safe distance to other exercisers. Cleaning schedules have been increased and 1Life staff will be carrying out cleaning routines each hour. Increased sanitisation stations have been installed to ensure the highest possible standards of hygiene and cleanliness.

There will be signs guiding members on how to act safely and responsibly, similar to the signs used in supermarkets, and equipment may be marked as ‘out of use’ or spaced further apart to comply with social distancing rules.

Swimming pools, changing rooms and showers will also be temporally unavailable and follow at a later point in a phased approach to re-opening to ensure customer and staff safety, meaning that members are asked to arrive on site wearing the appropriate clothing to be active.

Members and customers will be asked to book onto specific exercise slots and sessions via the 1Life app, website or by calling the centre direct. This ensures that the capacity is at appropriate levels and there is adequate time to clean and sanitise the facilities between exercise sessions. 1Life is also hosting an increased group exercise timetable, offering more people more opportunities to exercise throughout the day with both on site virtual and instructor lead classes available.

Staff will be equipped a range of PPE including gloves, face masks and visors. The temporary measures will be adapted as and when government advice changes throughout the Coronavirus pandemic.

Mark Braithwaite, chief executive of 1Life wanted to reassure members and users of the facility that they will be safe.

He said: “We are naturally very excited to be re-opening, but we are not doing this lightly. We have used the last 17-plus weeks to up skill, re-educate and re-train our teams on the very latest advice and procedures to ensure a safe service and operation. As the Government and public health experts ease the current restrictions, we want to ensure that members and users feel comfortable and safe using our facilities.”

Fitness and leisure facilities were forced to close by the Government on March 20, meaning that members have been unable to access some of their favourite activities and sports.

Recent research conducted by Sport England and Savanta ComRes showed 87 per cent of gym members said they are likely to resume their membership when facilities reopen and 27 per cent of people who are not currently members of gyms said they are likely to join.