Three council-run Stoke-on-Trent gyms to remain closed today despite end of lockdown

Three council-run gyms will remain closed today - despite the end of the national lockdown.

The Wallace Sport and Education Centre, in Abbey Hulton, New Horizons Leisure Centre, in Chell,  and Stoke-on-Trent Gymnastics Centre, in Burslem, will all remain shut.

The decision has been made as part of a phased relaunch despite leisure facilities being allowed to reopen in Tier 3 from this morning.

It will also free up staff and facilities to be redeployed as part of the council’s frontline work to combat coronavirus.

However, Shapes Health and Leisure Club at Fenton Manor and Dimensions Leisure Centre in Burslem  will welcome back customers with strict Covid-secure measures in place.

And the 3G artificial grass pitches at Northwood Stadium and Dimensions are also back up-and-running but all sessions will need to be pre-booked.

Exercise and fitness classes, swimming and other indoor activities will also remain closed at all leisure centres for now.

The potential for these activities to return will continue to be reviewed.

Council leader Abi Brown said: “We’re delighted to be able to reopen two of our gyms in a Covid-secure way so residents can enjoy the huge physical and mental health benefits that they bring, which is essential at this time.

“As part of our phased reopening, some facilities cannot return yet because of the Government’s tier restrictions. We’re also having to keep some services closed for now so our sport and leisure teams can continue to support vital work linked to the pandemic as they have already done so in recent months.

“These staff have been at the front line of the council’s coronavirus response throughout the year, with many colleagues redeployed to critical services including welfare calls and contact tracing. More recently, our leisure facilities have been used for community coronavirus testing.

“As we move out of this second national lockdown, we will have to retain some of these resources as part of the city’s huge effort to bring the number of coronavirus cases down. During December, three quarters of our sport and leisure service staff will still be redeployed in critical Covid-related services. Our leisure centres will also play a central role in increasing our community testing programme in the coming weeks – with strict Covid-secure measures in place to keep all visitors safe.

“As a result of this and the Government’s tier restrictions, there are some activities that will not take place for now. If the current situation improves, we expect to restart more of our sport and leisure services from the New Year.”

From today, Dimensions’ gym will be open from 6.30am to 7.30pm, Monday to Friday and 7.30am to 5.30pm, Saturday and Sunday.

And Shapes’ gym will be open from 7.45am to 8pm, Monday to Friday and 8am to 4pm, Saturday and Sunday.

Since council leisure centres closed their doors for the second national lockdown, all memberships and subscriptions have been frozen.

As a thank you to existing members, the gyms that are reopening will be free to use throughout December.

During December, members will also receive ‘global’ access, so they can use either of the gyms at Shapes or Dimensions.

Fees will then be capped at £10 for January, with a view to membership packages returning to normal after this period.

Customers have the option to freeze their membership for a further three months if required.

Leisure centre parking permits that lapsed during the temporary closure can be extended on request before December 20.

Visitors must:

• Pre-book sessions via the ActiveStoke app, stoke.gov.uk/leisure or by calling Shapes: 01782 233222 or Dimensions: 01782 233500.

• Not have any Covid-19 symptoms in the past 14 days;

• Arrive on time - no more than five minutes early;

• Follow queues, one-way routes and social distancing;

• Sign in with a membership card and support track and trace information;

• Sanitise their hands on arrival and before/after activities;

• Wipe down and sanitise equipment or items used.

Safety measures include signage and one-way systems, individual cleaning equipment for each member to collect at reception, hand sanitising stations, extra cleaning by leisure centre teams between sessions, and socially-distanced equipment in the gyms.