Leisure centres to reopen from this weekend

Bury Council’s three leisure centres are to start reopening this weekend following four months of coronavirus lockdown.

The phased return will begin on Saturday (25 July) with the reopening of Castle Leisure Centre gym and studio classes and Ramsbottom gym, followed by Radcliffe Leisure Centre gym on Sunday. Activities such as swimming, badminton and squash will all follow in the coming days.

To keep everyone safe, there will be a number of changes. All sports activities must be booked and paid for in advance, either online or by phone. Sessions will be limited to one hour’s duration, to allow everyone fair access to the facilities.

The toilets and changing rooms will be open, and hand sanitisers and social distancing signs have been installed. Customers are advised to bring their own drinks bottles.

Castle Leisure Centre

• Gym sessions - Saturday 25 July.
• Fitness sessions - Saturday 25 July.
• Swimming sessions - Tuesday 28 July.
• Badminton and squash sessions - Monday 3 August.

Radcliffe Leisure Centre

• Gym sessions - Sunday 26 July.
• Fitness sessions - Monday 27 July.
• Swimming sessions - Thursday 30 July.

Ramsbottom Pool and Fitness Centre

• Gym sessions - Saturday 25 July.
• Fitness sessions - Saturday 25 July.
• Swimming sessions - Saturday 1 August.

Swimming lessons will restart later this year following the safe phased reopening of the centres.

For more information, details of how to book and a list of Frequently Asked Questions, go to the council’s website at  www.bury.gov.uk/buryleisure-reopening

Councillor Andrea Simpson, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “This is a moment that so many people across Bury have been waiting for. Many thousands of us have sorely missed being able to visit our leisure centres, and are keen to get back to playing sport indoors and enjoying the fitness centres and swimming pools.

“However, the coronavirus has not gone away and we all need to be vigilant and follow the rules. The health and safety of our customers and our staff is paramount and, in line with government guidance and advice from Sport England and industry leaders, we have implemented new safety measures, undertaken thorough risk assessments and delivered training to the entire workforce.

“Keeping fit and enjoying sport is good for our physical and mental health and we want to encourage people to be more active, more often. Having a phased approach to reopening, and introducing measures such as booking in advance, is essential to keeping us all safe and feeling confident in using the facilities.”

During the lockdown, leisure centre staff were redeployed to frontline services across the council to help with the council’s response to the pandemic.

Donna Ball, executive director for operations, said: “I am incredibly proud of our employees who have done an excellent job in maintaining frontline services during this crisis. Staff have been working in waste management, our community hubs and the Bury Covid-19 test centre, and helping to distribute around 1.3 million items of PPE across our borough. The team are now working very hard to safely prepare for the reopening of our leisure centres.”

ENDS

Press release issued: 22 July 2020.