Bookings open for sport and leisure facilities

From Monday 7 September Orkney Islands Councils Sport and Leisure Service will take bookings for their sport and leisure facilities ahead of their reopening during the week commencing 14 September.

Bookings forms for the following facilities can be found here under the related downloads sections:

• Dounby Centre
• Grass Pitches
• Kirkwall Community Centre and Town Hall
• KGS Sports Centre
• KGS Weddings/Events
• Stromness Community Centre and Town Hall
• Stromness Swimming Pool

If anyone would like to book anyone of these facilities, please complete the booking form and sent it to the relevant email address.

To book into fitness classes, gym sessions, pool sessions or a meeting/event space please see below:

• KGS Sports Centre – Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm 01856873535 and during evenings and weekends 01856872364, or e-mail kirkwallsportscentre@glow.orkneyschools.org.uk.
• Dounby - 01856771280 in the evenings during opening hours email or dounby.centre@glow.orkneyschools.org.uk.
• Stromness Community Centre and Town Hall - 01856850712 or email leisure.culture@orkney.gov.uk.
• Kirkwall Community Centre and Town Hall – 01856873354 or email kirkwall.townhall@orkney.gov.uk.
• Stromness Swimming Pool and Fitness Centre - 01856850552 during opening hours or email stromness.pool@glow.orkneyschools.org.uk.
• Hope Healthy Living Centre - email hope.hlc@glow.orkneyschools.org.uk.

Alternatively, bookings for the above facilities can be made by contacting the Education, Leisure and Housing service on 08156873535 extension 2415 or email leisure.culture@orkney.gov.uk.

Bookings can be made two weeks in advance for people who are registered with ActiveLife and a week in advance for casual users, however as ActiveLife memberships are still frozen all sessions will be pay as you go.

James Wylie, Executive Director of Education, Leisure and Housing added: “A significant amount of work has taken place by the Sport and Leisure team to be able to re-open the large majority of our facilities. Each facility is following Scottish Government and Sports Governing Body guidelines, which mean there are a few changes that have had to be made to ensure they can open, but more importantly that our customers and staff stay safe.”

If users want to use the swimming pool or any of our gyms or Group X classes, advance bookings will be essential, with each slot will be limited to a set number of users and there will be 15 minutes between sessions for additional cleaning.

To ensure there is sufficient time to disinfect surfaces and equipment as well as to reduce queuing, users are asked to adhere to their booking slot, not to arrive too early and to leave promptly.

Face coverings must be worn when entering the facilities however, these can be removed when taking part in physical activity.

Fitness class numbers will unfortunately be reduced to ensure that physical distancing can be adhered to, and no equipment, other than spin bikes will be provided for our activity classes therefore we encourage users to bring their own equipment for classes e.g. mats and pilate balls.

Gwenda Shearer, Chair of Education, Leisure and Housing Committee said: “It is great news that we are now able to open bookings for our facilities. We hope the Orkney community will be able to make use of the fantastic activities and facilities that have been reopened.”

Facility and activity timetables can be accessed on the Councils Sport and Leisure Facebook page as of Saturday 5 September, or by telephoning the Sport and Leisure Service on 01856873535 extension 2415 or emailing leisure.culture@orkney.gov.uk.