Fitness fans leap back to action at Northumberland leisure centres

After months of waiting, Active staff welcomed customers in and were able to get back to their job of helping people of all ages to get fit and enjoy the many benefits that exercise brings.

Ross Straughan who attends the Willowburn Sports and Leisure Centre in Alnwick said: “It’s so great to be able to walk back through the doors of the centre, to see the staff and pick up my exercise routine. It’s definitely put a spring back in my step.”

Under the new government regulations, re-opening will be phased, with gym and swimming sessions permitted, including children's swimming lessons. All sessions must be pre-booked.

Although indoor fitness classes are still prohibited, customers have been starting to enjoy the new outdoor bootcamp sessions which have been introduced to take group exercise into the fresh air.

Under the easing of lockdown restrictions, outdoor pitches and 3G pitches will re-open for organised groups and indoor racquet sports will also be permitted for the same household or social bubble in certain centres. The popular Clip n’ Climb will also re-open at the new Ponteland Sports Centre and at Concordia in Cramlington.

Mark Warnes, Acting Chief Executive of Active Northumberland said: “Sport and leisure centres have a key role to play in the recovery from the pandemic as exercise plays such a huge part in improving people’s physical and mental health.

“There has been a real buzz of excitement at the centres as our customers have begun returning. While we haven’t been able to offer our full range of services, we have been adapting to government guidelines and have extra activities on offer.

"There are new outdoor bootcamps added to the timetable, at centres where we have the space, and we’ve also introduced a new online subscription membership so those who are unable to return just yet, can continue to exercise with our team, either live or on demand.”

“As always, the health and safety of our staff and customers is our top priority and the stringent new cleaning and social distancing measures we introduced last year are still very much in place.”