Active pools open to the public - but swimmers must pre-book
05 Aug 2020 ARCHIVED (over 3 months old) - view latest news
Active Northumberland swimming pools have reopened to the public this week ( Monday 3rd August) but swimmers must pre-book a time slot, before taking the plunge.
It is lane swimming only with the option of a slow, medium or fast swimming lane. Swimmers must also register and pre-book online as numbers in the pools will be restricted to ensure there is plenty of space for social distancing.
As government lockdown restrictions eased, nine key sports centres in the county reopened their doors on July 25th. Initially the swimming pools had a members only policy while numbers and demand for swimming was monitored.
Now Active Northumberland feels it has the capacity to be able to safely open the pools to non-members, aged 14 years of age and above.
In order to pre-book the pay-as-you- go public will need to register an account with Active Northumberland at www.activenorthumberland.org.uk in order to get a member ID and Pin Number. This will enable them to book a time slot, a day in advance, on the website or Active Northumberland app.
There are some new health and safety guidelines in place to ensure people are kept safe so those looking to start swimming are advised to log on to the Active Northumberland website
https://bit.ly/WelcomeBackToSwim to familiarise themselves with the new procedures.
Mark Warnes, Acting Chief Executive of Active Northumberland said:
“ The safety of our customers and our staff is our top priority and we have stringent new hygiene and social distancing practices in place, as well as limiting the number of people taking part in various activities.
“ We are reopening our facilities in a phased and careful manner and after monitoring the swimming pools we have the capacity to open them up to the wider public. Numbers in the pool at any one time will always be restricted so pre-booking a time slot is essential and at this stage, because of the safety precautions that we are asking people to adhere to, the swimming will only be open to those who are 14 years of age and above.”
Active Northumberland has sought industry advice from Swim England, UK Active and Public Health England. There are new safety and social distancing guidelines in place, while cleaning schedules have been ramped up considerably and numbers in the centres are restricted.
Northumberland County Councillor Cath Homer, cabinet member with responsibility for leisure said:
“ Over the past week or so we’ve had a great response from members who are thrilled to be back using the fantastic facilities in the centres and who tell us they feel very reassured by all the hygiene and safety precautions that have been put in place.”
“ The past few months have been an unprecedented time for us all and I’d like to thank the public for their patience as we work to reopen the sports centres on a phased basis.
“ Opening the swimming pools to the wider public is another step forward. Over time we plan to open more activities, to more people, but at present we have to take a slow and cautious approach to ensure everyone is kept safe. ”
The pools that will be open for public lane swimming are
Ashington
Alnwick - Willowburn Sports Centre
Berwick - Swan Centre
Blyth Sports Centre
Concordia Sports Centre - Cramlington
Hexham - Wentworth Sports Centre
Morpeth - Riverside Leisure Centre
Ponteland Sports Centre
Prudhoe Waterworld.
Concordia, Cramlington
At this stage the gym and exercise classes can only be booked by Active Northumberland members however fitness instructors are continuing to provide daily home workouts which can be viewed on the Active Northumberland facebook page or YouTube channel. https://bit.ly/2Xz5C8r
There are also other activities that non-members can participate in including: Clip n Climb, and sports hall activities such as badminton, table tennis and short tennis.