Update on leisure services for November 2021.
Direct Debits restarting after membership freeze
As all of our leisure centres have now reopened, Direct Debit collections are restarting this month. All members who had not already reactivated their memberships have been contacted by our payment collection agency with more information.
However, if you don't feel ready to return to our leisure centres, please email go@gateshead.gov.uk and your membership will remain frozen.
If you have chosen to end your membership and have cancelled your Direct Debit instruction with your bank or building society, please let us know.
We hope to welcome you back soon
Blaydon opening hours
We're pleased to confirm that the opening hours for Blaydon Leisure Centre have been extended.
Blaydon was the last of our leisure centres to reopen as it was being used as a Covid-19 vaccination centre and due to staff availability, the pools and gym initially remained closed until around 3pm on weekdays. We're now able to open these facilities earlier in the day:
Gym opening hours from 1 November
Monday to Friday: 6.30am - 9.45pm
Saturday and Sunday: 8am - 4pm
Pool opening hours from 1 November
Monday, Wednesday and Thursday: 8am - 9.30pm
Tuesday: 9am - 9.15pm
Friday: 8am - 7.45pm
The pools will remain closed at weekends for now, but we'll continue to review all of our activity programmes in line with staff availability and further expand our timetables where we can.
Check the pool timetables at Blaydon Leisure Centre.
Turn up and swim
Based on customer feedback, we've made some changes to our booking requirements.
Pre-booking is no longer needed for Swim for All sessions - just turn up and swim!
Pre-booking online or by phone is still recommended for lane swimming, as many swimmers have told us they prefer to swim with a managed number of people in each lane. However, you can still swim without a booking if there's space available in your chosen lane.
Don't forget to check the timetables before heading to the pool.
Swimming lessons
Children's swimming lessons have now restarted, initially just for customers who had booked lessons before the pandemic.
Eligible customers received an invitation to return, but unfortunately some will have been unable to book their lessons due to limited capacity. We'll be making more options available for you soon.
New customers can register your interest and we'll contact you as soon as we have capacity to run more lessons.
We're currently recruiting and training new swimming teachers. If you think you have what it takes to join our team, please email aquatics@gateshead.gov.uk for information on free training courses and job opportunities. No previous experience is necessary.
Stay cautious
Over the last few weeks, the number of Covid-19 cases in our area has been rising. Please help us to keep our staff and customers safe by respecting the safety measures in place at our leisure centres and if you feel unwell, stay at home.
This will also help us to keep our facilities open. The availability of our leisure facilities depends heavily on our ability to maintain essential Council functions, including Covid-19 response services. If demand for these services increases or we experience high levels of staff absence, we may need to close facilities at short notice.
Thank you for your understanding.
