Westway Sports and Fitness Centre and Westway Portobello Fitness Club are set to reopen, after being given the ‘green light’ by Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.
The centres which are managed by sports and leisure operator Everyone Active in partnership with Westway Trust will reopen their doors on Saturday 1 August (Westway Portobello Fitness Club) and Monday 3 August (Westway Sports and Fitness Centre).The news comes after the facilities were forced to close for almost four months due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Facilities including the fitness suites, tennis and some football activities will all be available to use upon opening. The climbing wall at Westway Sports and Fitness Centre will reopen on Wednesday 5 August. All customers will be communicated to directly regarding the details for reopening.
The Government update on 9 July confirmed leisure centres are now safe to reopen facilities, with strict operational measures in place. Everyone Active procedures will ensure social distancing is managed throughout the centres and regular cleaning is maintained. Full detail of the operator’s measures can be found here.
Alison Norman, Everyone Active’s 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 Government 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.”
Westway Trust's Chair of the Board of Trustees, Toby Laurent Belson, said “We welcome the community back. It is a huge relief to have such a critical local space back up and running as it should be and The Westway Trust will work with the Everyone Active team in the coming weeks, so that they can get back to doing what they do best for our local community and all EA members. More than ever, we need these spaces for our health and wellbeing to be open and accessible for all, providing excellent options for keeping fit and healthy and having fun.”