Leisure facilities to reopen from Saturday
Gyms, studios and pools will reopen at leisure facilities in Hackney on a phased basis from tomorrow (Saturday 25 July).
At Clissold Leisure Centre, Kings Hall Leisure Centre, London Fields Lido and Queensbridge Sports & Community Centre, gyms, studios and pools will reopen from tomorrow, with just studios and the gym reopening at Britannia Leisure Centre as its pool does not deliver fitness swimming.
Local residents using leisure facilities must book a one hour time slot via the Better app or on the Better website.
Inside centres, signage and floor markings will assist with one-way access and social distancing.
Equipment within gym areas is being removed to ensure that two metre social distancing between users is maintained, while some fitness classes will be relocated to sports halls or outside.
Swimmers are being asked to arrive with their costume on under their clothes to save time and reduce pressure on changing areas. Gym and studio customers will be encouraged to bring their own drinking water – and shower and change at home.
Leisure facilities will be adopting increased cleaning regimes, while customers will be asked to wipe down the equipment they have used. Hand sanitiser will be available throughout leisure centre buildings.
All Better members will be given access to all Better facilities until social distancing measures end.
They will also be given the option to continue to freeze their memberships as will any members who don’t feel confident returning to the centres initially or who might have health conditions that put them at higher risk of infection from Covid-19.
Six libraries are set to reopen from 28 July on a phased basis, starting with an order and collect service only - further details can be found here: https://hackney.gov.uk/libraries
We have worked hard to support Better to reopen leisure services in a safe way as lockdown restrictions are lifted. We’re looking forward to welcoming local residents back to our leisure facilities, which are vital in helping local people to keep active - with the important benefits this brings to physical and mental health. We’d urge anyone visiting leisure facilities to follow the guidance to protect themselves and others from coronavirus.
After nearly four months of lockdown, we are delighted to finally have the green light for reopening our leisure facilities in a phased fashion.
Keeping people safe is now a shared responsibility and our top priority. As a leisure operator we will be working in partnership with customers to ensure their visit is safe. This means things will look a little different, there will be no walk-ups and all visits must be pre-booked.
We recognise that some people may be worried about returning to their local leisure facilities, so we will continue to offer free access to online fitness and exercises classes via our Better app.
We look forward to seeing you soon.