Over the past few days we have worked with Sport England and our governing body to lobby the government to keep swimming pools open (and other sports facilities). We firmly believe fitness is a vital tool to suppress COVID-19, whilst giving people some routine in very uncertain times and supporting people’s mental health. Alongside other individuals, organisations and businesses, we have gone to every possible length to stress this to the government. Members of parliament have consistently raised this when questioning the prime minister while the legislation has been debated. And whilst the restrictions have not been passed through parliament yet, we are fairly certain it will be agreed with very few changes. The government is determined; this must be a blanket set of restrictions to apply to all bar the essentials, such as education and supermarkets.
We have worked tirelessly to stress how invaluable having a safe place to exercise is during the COVID-19 pandemic. The science is pretty unanimous on this too, leisure centres and swimming pools do not pose a substantial risk and are safe while the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing. We have gone above and beyond to make sure we operate safely, whilst taking a serious hit to our revenue owing to reducing our capacity. Despite all of this, the decision tomorrow is likely to be final, and we will be forced to close between 5th November and 2nd December.
We’ve done a lot of the preparatory work to make sure the business stays viable despite the closure, and we will be ready and raring to go when we reopen. There are a couple of things we would like to highlight to you;
- If you can, we’d really appreciate you making sure you’re up to date with lesson payments. We will be setting this as the minimum amount on your invoice. If you, like us, are really struggling financially, then please let us know, and we will try our best to help.
- The 4 weeks closure will be credited on your invoice, and you will be able to see how much of your balance will be taken off the next terms lesson fees.
- We have nearly 130 invoices to update manually, so the above will show up on your invoice by Friday.
Finally, we’d like to thank you for being the most incredibly supportive and understanding customers. We will really miss teaching your children over the next 4 weeks. And we’d also like to make a plea to you before Christmas, no matter what you’re buying for presents, try to support local and give businesses a much-needed lifeline in a time where keeping small businesses going is proving almost impossible.
If you have any questions at all for us, please ask. But bear in mind we may take a few days to reply.
Keep safe, and thank you for your continued support and understanding!
Hayley, Andre and team x