Staff at leisure centres across County Durham are working hard to prepare sites for re-opening to the public from Monday, April 12.
The centres will initially open with gym, swim and outdoor fitness facilities available, while the indoor fitness class programme is expected to restart later in May, as outlined in the Government’s Roadmap to Recovery. Additional outdoor fitness classes, including bootcamps have been added to the programme at some leisure centres.
Due to refurbishment work which is currently taking place, the pool at Wolsingham Leisure Centre will open from Monday 19 April. Consett Pool remains temporarily closed for essential maintenance works.
Leisure centres in the county have made a number changes to ensure the safety of customers and staff amid the coronavirus pandemic. These include extra staff training, limited numbers to implement social distancing and the use of face coverings. Rigorous cleaning of sites will continue. All activities must be prebooked in advance by visiting www.durham.gov.uk/leisure
For those who would prefer to keep active at home, the Mywellness app will continue to be free to use while the leisure centres will operate a reduced programme. The app includes daily workouts, challenges and on demand as well as live fitness classes.
Outdoor classes are available at Consett Leisure Centre, Meadowfield Leisure Centre, Riverside Leisure Centre, Shildon-Sunnydale Leisure Centre, Teesdale Leisure Centre and Wolsingham Leisure Centre. Members can attend classes at any centre they wish to.
Alison Clark, Durham County Council’s head of culture, sport and tourism, said: “Being active is really important to our mental and physical wellbeing and we can’t wait to open our doors. Don’t worry if you haven’t been as active during lockdown, we’re here to help you build up your activity levels no matter where you are starting from.
“Our gym staff have also had specialist training on the effects of long Covid and are able to support your recovery.”
Anyone who would like to find out more can visit www.durham.gov.uk/leisure to view opening times, facilities and booking information.
