Dear Member,
After what will have been a period of 122 days, we are delighted to announce that Wellington Health & Fitness Club will back and open as from Monday 27th July at 06:30.
On your return, there are a number of changes in procedures that we all are required to follow and comply with. It is important that we communicate these changes to you as clearly as we can, so you know what to expect. We are following the Government guidelines as well as those of UK Active and the numerous sporting governing bodies. Please note that at the time of this newsletter not all these organisations have yet published their guidance documents. As any guidance is updated, we may have to update our procedures, sometimes at short notice.
Opening Hours
For the period Monday 27th July to Sunday 30th August, the Club will be open at the following times.
- Monday – Friday 06:30 – 20:30
- Saturday & Sunday 08:00 – 17:00
- Bank Holiday Monday 08:00 – 16:00
The opening hours for the September to December period will be confirmed during August.
Membership Fees
We would like to welcome members back to visit the Club and we are pleased to confirm that there will be no pro-rata payment for the period 27th July – 31st July. The first direct payment will be on the 6th August. Annuals memberships will be reactivated from 1st August.
In addition, for the period 1st August – 31st October, membership fees will be discounted by 25%. This discount will be reviewed after a period of 3 months. More details about this process can be found under the heading ‘Shape of the Week’. Any discount will not be applied to memberships currently in receipt of a loyalty discount.
There will also be no annual increase in membership fees until August 2021.
If you do not feel ready to return to the Club yet, you may continue to have your membership suspended for a period of up to 6 months subject to the payment of a suspension fee of £10 per month for the first three months and £25 per month for the remaining three months. If you do not wish to return after this date, we may need to review your membership and release your membership to those on our waiting list. If you do wish to suspend your membership, please inform us on or before 31st July 2020 so that we can make the appropriate adjustment to your direct debit.
Hygiene & Social Distancing
We will be implementing new cleaning protocols and practices with our staff and contract cleaning partner but will also require members to ‘do their bit’ both in respect of personal hygiene (such as using hand sanitizers or washing your hands on your arrival) and in respect of any kit and equipment used. More details can be found in our Coronavirus Protocol which is also attached. If you are seen not to adhere to these practices you will be asked to leave the Club.
All staff have received updated and current training in responding to First Aid in these new circumstances as well as additional training in cleaning procedures.
Coronavirus
As a Club, we support and will co-operate with the NHS Test & Trace system. We will retain a record of who has accessed which sessions for a period of at least 21 days. If a member or one of our staff develops symptoms, test positive and informs the NHS that they attended the Club we expect the NHS to contact us and ask for these details so that they can determine whether any other members or staff are ‘contacts’ and will be required to self-isolate.
We encourage all members who use the Club to participate in the NHS Test & Trace system. Further, we ask that you inform us promptly if you develop any symptoms of the Coronavirus within 14 days of visiting the Club. We will then follow the appropriate guidelines as to which staff and / or members should be informed of this.
If you develop any of the symptoms of the Coronavirus whilst using the Club, you must end your session immediately and inform a member of staff taking care to stay 2 metres away from that member of staff and anyone else in the Club whilst doing so.
Gym
The gym has been split into two sections. The upstairs section with the majority of Precor cardio equipment (treadmills, AMT’s and bikes) and the resistance kit and the other section into the Main Hall where we have set up all the functional equipment as well the dumbbells, Watt bikes and rowers etc on one half of the hall. On the other side, we have put our spin bikes and other group exercise equipment so that we can have more social distance classes. This set up will remain in place until Friday 28th August when the equipment will move back into the gym. Please check our social media platforms for photos as well as the Members Hub to get a feel of what this looks like.
In both areas, we will be operating bookable slots via your Club App or phoning Reception. The duration of each slot is 45 mins and there is a maximum of 15 spaces per area. You will not be permitted to book back to back slots. You must arrive no more than 5 mins ahead of your slot and must arrive ‘gym-ready’ as the changing rooms will not be available for use. Toilets and handwashing facilities will be available. You will not be permitted to arrive more than 15 mins late and additional time will not be added for any time lost.
Not every piece of equipment will be available for use for social distancing purposes. The Milon Circle will not be available for these same reasons.
After each session, we will have a 25 mins cleaning period of all the equipment before the start of the next sessions.
Please note that The Qube will not be available for class or general use.
Further details are available on the Members Hub on our Club website. www.wellingtonfitness.co.uk
Group Exercise Classes
These will take place in the Main Hall. Class capacities will be reduced, and we will be starting with a limited programme from Monday 3rd August. All places are bookable in advance as before using the Club App and website or by contacting Reception. Classes will be spaced out to allow adequate cleaning time between each session. Members will be asked to wipe down the equipment they have used after the session has finished. Appropriate wipes will be available to use.
The programme is available on the Club website and Club App as from Monday 27th July. We have also moved the booking timing temporarily to 08:00 for this August period. If you are unable to book via the Club App or website, then please contact Reception and we will try and help you find an alternative option.
From September we will also be live-streaming classes from the Studios so please look out for further information on this in the next few weeks.
Just a friendly word of advice, that if you are returning to exercise for the first time in a while then please do take it easy at least for a short while!
Swimming Pool
We will be operating 45 mins slots bookable in advance via the Club App and website or Reception. There will be a maximum number of 8 swimmers in each session. We will only be operating Member Swim sessions only plus a limited range of Aqua classes.
You must arrive ‘beach ready’ which is to say with your costume on, underneath your day clothes (preferably!). You will be allocated a space on poolside for your bag and clothes. There is no access to the changing rooms or showers. Access to toilets is available.
We are adhering to the PWTAG guidelines for water quality.
An adult can only supervise one child accessing the pool at any time.
Follow the signs to the poolside entrance and you will leave via the poolside fire exit doors.
Please note that Sauna and Steam Rooms will not be available.
Tennis
The six hard floodlit courts are approaching mid-way through the refurbishment programme. We still anticipate having these back to use towards the end of August. The Bawden Martin Astro pitch (on the right as you drive up the Club into the members’ car park) has been marked up for 12 additional courts and will remain in place for tennis potentially up to December. This will obviously make the facility unavailable for football and hockey for this period. Court bookings will be via the Club App and website and Reception. No further court fees will be applied from this point. The programme of sessions will be introduced during August.
Squash
Squash is available to play. However, due to the nature of the activity, there are several modifications. Please see our web site for details or visit the England Squash website at www.englandsquash.com/backtosquash. In short, you can either play with someone from the same household, play solo or practice with Steve Meads or play a modified match called ‘Sides’.
Invincibles
For the period July / August all Invincibles activities will take place in the Robin Dyer Centre (RDC). This will include short mat bowls, table tennis, some classes and modified version of short tennis. The tennis courts outside will be available for use. The gym will also be made available during the session times.
Fives
Fives will operate in a limited capacity. It will be providing a hot drink take away service only. There will be snacks available but no hot food. The facility will only be open from 07:00 – 14:00 Monday – Friday only. The bar will not be opening at the weekends or during the evenings for the period between July and August and will be reviewed ahead of September.
Social space. Most instruction is for users of any facility is to arrive ready, participate and then leave as promptly as possible. This then does take away a huge part of our Club. We will not be offering an indoor seating area. There is limited outdoor seating available, but we would encourage members to follow the guidance of leaving the site as promptly as possible after finishing their chosen activity.
Payments
We would prefer card payments whenever possible as we move to a cashless operation so we will appreciate no cash transactions. We accept most credit and debit cards. This applies to both Reception and Fives.
The Club & the Creche
During a period of no income for the Club, we have had to make some difficult decisions and reduce staffing in some areas. As a result of this we are no longer offering a creche service. We will email as many of the regular users of the creche as possible in line with this newsletter coming out.
Car Parking
With regards to car parking, we request that members use the members’ car park only for the immediate future, please.
Fun Zone / Swim School
As previously communicated, Fun Zone has not operated this summer. We apologise for any inconvenience that this will cause members, but the guidance was issued so late that it has been not possible to make the appropriate arrangements. We will provide details of the October Half Term programme in due course.
We will be working with the Swim School team and will update you as soon as possible as what can be offered as a programme under the guidance of Swim England.
Terms & Conditions
During the closure period we have revised our Terms and Conditions and Club Rules. These will take effect from Monday 27th July. Please note that the temporary changes set out in this newsletter (for example, relating to the discounted membership fees) do not affect your other rights and obligations under the Terms and Conditions or Rules remain.
New ‘Shape of the Week’ for the College.
Like the Club, the College has been physically closed to pupils since late March. Government guidance is that all pupils should return full time in September but the requirements around ‘bubbles’ and social distancing mean that there will be many changes to the usual school timetable. One of the most significant changes is that pupils will do sport through much more of the week with the result that the College will require additional time in the majority of facilities during the mornings between 10:00 & 12:00 on four mornings a week (Monday & Tuesday / Thursday & Friday). The gym and both studios are unaffected and will be available for member’s use. We are looking at alternative options as to how we can provide activities outside of these times and we will announce these over the next few weeks.
This is a short-term requirement and response to COVID 19 and so we expect our programme to resume in due course. At the latest, the College’s need to change in the Spring and we would expect to be offering a wider range of programme by then.
It is only correct that we bring this to your attention as early as possible and it is the reason why we have immediately reduced the membership price by 25% for the period of August until October. As we learn more about how the new autumn term will develop, we will consider whether it would be appropriate to extend the discount for the rest of the term whether at the same rate or at a reduced rate. It is undoubtedly a game-changer. We have always valued and appreciated the loyalty of our members and know that this coupled with the operating restrictions is asking a lot from you.
I am sure you will appreciate that this is a learning curve for all of us and we may have to make adaptations to our procedures once we have members on site. We will keep you notified of any new changes. If you have any suggestions for how we can improve what we are doing, please do not hesitate to raise it with me or a member of the team.
We are a large leisure facility; situated in the fantastic setting of Wellington College. As Wellington Health & Fitness Club, we have a role not just in the lives of a thousand plus students, but we also play a significant role in the lives of several thousand members in our local community. We will be open on the 27th July ready to welcome you and we will do whatever we can to ensure you feel confident upon your return, that you feel welcomed upon your return and that you have a great experience. There may be difficult days ahead but if we can collectively stay, work and play together we will remain your Club now and for the future.
Ian Davis
Commercial Manager
15th July 2020
