In the initial reopening phase, gyms, exercise classes and the main pool will re-open at Workington Leisure Centre on Saturday July 25th with gyms and exercise classes opening at Cockermouth Leisure Centre also from Saturday July 25th. This has been brought forward from Monday 27th July 2020.

Anyone wishing to use the facilities will need to pre-book a time slot via the Better app or website. Equipment within gym areas will be reduced to ensure that 2m social distancing between users is maintained, while some fitness classes will be relocated to sports halls or even, weather permitting, the open air.

Staff will be adopting a new, enhanced cleaning regime, while customers will be asked to wipe down the equipment that they have used. Hand sanitiser will be available throughout leisure centre buildings.

All Better members will be given Cumbria wide access to all Better-operated facilities within the county for the foreseeable future. Meaning members of centres that aren’t re-opening in the initial phase, such as Keswick Leisure Pool and The Wave Centre, Maryport will be able to use alternative facilities.

They will also be given the option to continue to freeze their memberships as will any members who don’t feel confident returning to the centres initially or who might have health conditions that put them at higher risk of infection from Covid-19.

Gareth Kirk, Regional Director for Better Leisure Centres in Allerdale, said:

“After nearly four months of lockdown, we’re delighted to finally be able to re-open two leisure centres, albeit at reduced capacity initially. 

"Our key priorities are to ensure customer and staff safety and build customer confidence. That’s why we’re phasing in our re-openings… to ensure that the systems we have put in place to be Covid-secure are working at an optimum level, before we roll out further. We recognise that some people may be worried about returning to their local leisure facilities, so we will continue to offer free access to online fitness and exercises classes via our Better app.”

Cllr Tony Markley, Allerdale's Executive member for environmental services, said:

"It's great to see our centres in Workington and Cockermouth reopening on July 25 giving customers the opportunity to get back to using these fantastic community assets once again.

"As a council we're pleased to see the range of measures that have been put in place to keep customers and staff safe and we will continue to work with GLL over the coming weeks."