A raft of leisure centres are set to reopen in Southwark this Sunday after being closed for almost four months.
Camberwell; Dulwich; The Castle; Peckham Pulse; Seven Islands; Surrey Docks; Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Southwark Athletics Centre – all of which are managed by Everyone Active on behalf of Southwark Council, will reopen their doors on Saturday 1 August.
Swimming pools will open for lane swimming and their clubs from Thursday, August 20, with a lane booking system in place.
The Everyone Active Learn to Swim Programme will also start up again from Saturday, August 22.
On July 9 the government announced centres can reopen again with strict measures in place – following social distancing and extra hygiene rules.
During closure, Everyone Active donated half customers’ memberships costs to charity for those who continued paying their direct debits during lockdown, with more than £400,000 going to the National Emergencies Trust.
Mark Basker, Everyone Active’s regional contract manager, said: “We’re very much looking forward to reopening the centres and welcoming back the local community.
“After being closed for nearly four months, this latest announcement from the overnment 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.”
Cllr Peter John, Leader of Southwark Council, added: “We are happy to be inviting people back to our leisure centres this weekend as we know many residents have been missing the opportunity to go to the gym.
“We’ve been working closely with Everyone Active, to reopen as soon as we could, while making sure our facilities can operate safely.
“We know lots of people have improved their fitness during lockdown by running, walking and cycling outside; and we hope this interest in exercise will continue over the summer and beyond.
“We also ask residents to be patient with leisure centre staff, as access to our leisure centres will have to be limited so that all visitors can socially distance and follow our safety advice.”
For more information visit: www.everyoneactive.com