Date set to reopen three Sheffield leisure centres with £1.6 million council support.

Places for People leisure centres will reopen next month, with up to £1.6 million from Sheffield City Council.
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The provider manages three health and fitness facilities in Sheffield: Graves Health and Leisure Centre, Thorncliffe Leisure Centre and Wisewood Sports Centre.

All three will reopen to the public on September 1, although some may have limited activities available initially.

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The announcement comes weeks after the government said gyms and leisure facilities could reopen and the delay has forced some customers to express their frustration on social media and say they were joining other gyms.

Sheffield's Steel Rollergirl Derby Team in a practice session at Graves Leisure Centre which reopens in September.Sheffield's Steel Rollergirl Derby Team in a practice session at Graves Leisure Centre which reopens in September.
Sheffield's Steel Rollergirl Derby Team in a practice session at Graves Leisure Centre which reopens in September.

At the same time Sheffield's main sports centre, Ponds Forge, will remain closed. Some 300 jobs are at risk of redundancy.

To help cope with the financial impact of freezing memberships and a lack of income during lockdown, Sheffield Council said it will provide up to £1.6 million to support Places Leisure with reopening.

The authority has also given up to £15 million to Sheffield City Trust, which manages 13 other fitness venues in the city.

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The council said this investment will enable some facilities to re-open in all parts of the city while it works on a long term strategy.

Coun Mary Lea, cabinet member for culture, sport and leisure, said: “I am pleased these much-loved facilities, which are crucial to the wellbeing of residents, are now able to reopen across the city.

“At this stage we can only open health and fitness centres but this investment also supports the future of Sheffield’s other leisure and entertainment venues that are vitally important to the city’s tourism, economy and culture.

“Without further support from the government many facilities will not be able to reopen until the crisis is over and that is why we have made this significant investment to protect our leisure assets.”

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She added that a citywide leisure review was taking place to ensure Sheffield’s leisure offer is robust coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Richard Cowley, area manager for Places Leisure, said: "As we prepare to reopen, we are implementing lots of new measures to keep colleagues and customers safe. Changes will include lots of signage to ensure we all respect social distancing, reduced activity capacities, enhanced cleaning regimes and hand sanitising and cleaning stations.

"All the information is on our website where customers will also need to pre-book sessions. We cannot wait to welcome our colleagues and customers back."

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