Local leisure centres in Ashfield are set to reopen following a month’s closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kirkby’s Festival Hall Leisure Centre, Hucknall Leisure Centre and Lammas Leisure Centre, Sutton, managed by sports and leisure operator Everyone Active in partnership with Ashfield District Council, will reopen their doors on Wednesday, December 2.

The Government has confirmed all leisure centres across all tiers will be safe to reopen with strict operational measures in place.

However, local restrictions mean some activities are not available at some centres. Full information on how the tier system affects your local centre is available here.

Everyone Active has committed to keeping its customers safe and active, ensuring it will meet and exceed Government guidelines to prevent the spread of Covid-19 with the Everyone Active Pledge. Full detail on the operator’s pledge and safety measures can be found here.

While its 200 leisure centres across the country have been closed, Everyone Active has provided a comprehensive package of online workouts for people to use, along with livestreamed classes across its social media pages.

Lorenzo Clark, Everyone Active’s contract manager, said: “We’re very much looking forward to reopening our 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 Ashfield 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.”

Coun Kier Barsby, portfolio holder for health and leisure, said: “As like the last lockdown, we have seen how much our residents value physical exercise so our leisure centres have been sorely missed this month.

“We understand that Covid-19 has not disappeared, though, and we must therefore be vigilant and follow the rules in place.

“We have been working closely with our leisure contractors Everyone Active to get the centres ready to reopen. Strict measures have been put in place to ensure cleanliness and safety, including measures for social distancing, new booking systems, hygiene and sanitation, risk assessments, fogging and so on.

“We will continue to work with Everyone Active to ensure customers feel safe when visiting our sites in Kirkby, Sutton and Hucknall.”