Leisure centres across West Sussex set to reopen this week
But, some activities will not be available as the county enters into Tier 2 restrictions
Leisure centres across West Sussex are set to reopen this week as the country comes out of the second national coronavirus lockdown.
It includes Chichester's Westgate Leisure Centre, Bourne Leisure Centre and The Grange Community and Leisure Centre, managed by Everyone Active in partnership with the district council.
The centres will be welcoming back gym-goers from Wednesday (2 December).
It comes as the Government has confirmed all leisure centres across all tiers will be safe to reopen with strict operational measures in place.
However, as West Sussex enters into Tier 2 restrictions, some activities will not be available at some centres.
This includes basketball, adult dance, climbing, dodgeball, indoor football, adult ice hockey, indoor netball and volleyball.
But, all organised activities for under-18s, disabled people and elite athletes can continue, as well as all outdoor sports.
Stuart Mills, Everyone Active's area contract manager, said they are "very much" looking forward to reopening their centres and welcoming back the local community:
"After being closed for a month, this announcement from Government is the news the leisure industry has been eagerly awaiting.
"It is very important to give people the opportunity to resume activity and exercise in their leisure centre, particularly during the winter months, and this will go a long way to maintaining the good health of local communities.
"We would like to thank the 615,000 people across the country who signed the petition we supported to keep gyms open, which triggered a Parliamentary debate, and to acknowledge the impressive manner in which the leisure industry has pulled together.
"We would also like to thank Chichester District Council for their support, which has proved invaluable during this challenging year.
"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 thank them for their patience."
Meanwhile Councillor Roy Briscoe, cabinet member for community services and culture at Chichester District Council, said:
"We are very pleased that the three fantastic leisure centres in our district are able to reopen.
"This has been a difficult time for many and we know that people have missed having access to these facilities.
"As a council, we work closely with Everyone Active to ensure that we continue to provide high quality sport and leisure facilities across our district.
"The leisure centres offer a variety of different services and activities to give people of all ages and abilities the opportunity to keep healthy and active, which is especially important during the current health pandemic.
"Now that the centres are able to reopen safely, we hope people will embrace the opportunity to use and enjoy these facilities again."