Aura will begin the phased reopening of Leisure Centres and Gyms in Flintshire from Monday

Aura Leisure – the charitable, not-for-profit, organisation which took over the majority of leisure centres in Flintshire – will begin a phased re-opening of facilities from Monday.

Following the 6th review of the coronavirus regulations last week, First Minister Mark Drakeford announced that from 10 August: Swimming pools, indoor fitness studios, gyms, spas and indoor leisure centres will be able to re-open.

Having been given the green light to reopen, Aura has said Jade Jones Pavilion Flint and Mold Leisure Centre will open the doors on Monday (August 10) for the first time since March.

However, they will only reopen for gym and fitness class customers initially.

The swimming pools at Jade Jones Pavilion Flint and Mold Leisure Centre will open from 17 August but only for “lane and club swimming,” children’s swimming lessons will resume in September Aura has said.

The gym at Flint has now been extended into the indoor flat green bowling rink, half of it will be used to accommodate fitness equipment and the other half will be utilised for fitness classes.

Mold’s gym has been extended into the two first floor studios.

Access to the gyms and classes in Mold and Flint will be managed through advance bookings only.

Buckley Leisure Centre will open from 17 August but only the swimming pool – again lane and club swimming only – outdoor grass pitches and tennis courts will also be accessible.

Children’s swimming lessons will resume in September at Buckley.

Outdoor sports facilities have been permitted by Welsh Government to re-open from 13 July, Aura’s 3G pitch at Flint High School will re-open for Aura-led coaching sessions only from 10 August.

The artificial turf pitch at Mold Leisure Centre and the 3G pitch at Flint High School will re-open from 17 August for national governing body (NGB) affiliated clubs.

Aura said it “will enable the reintroduction of outdoor organised recreational team sports once the appropriate national governing body (NGB) has provided an action plan for the sport and once the club(s), which will lead the activity under the NGB’s oversight, is able to demonstrate its adherence to the NGB guidance at local level.”

The artificial turf pitch at Buckley Leisure Centre is due to be replaced from 17 August with work anticipated to be completed by the end of September untill then it wont reopen.

The outdoor grass pitches and tennis courts at Mold will be accessible from 17 August.

Deeside Leisure Centre which has been converted into a 430-bed field hospital in response to the Covid-19 pandemic will remain available until there is no longer any need for additional capacity to support the North Wales health board.

Aura said. “It is unlikely that Deeside will be returned to Aura for resumption as a leisure centre before early 2021.”

Deeside gym members are being encouraged to access the fitness suites at Flint and Mold.

An Aura spokesperson said: “Similar to other customer-facing sectors of the economy, gyms and fitness classes will have to follow strict social distancing guidelines when they re-open to the public.

Things will be a little bit different to the last time you visited an Aura facility and you will notice a number of changes.”

These include:

• Capacity limits in the gym controlled by a timed booking system
• Reduced fitness class sizes
• Spaced out equipment
• Temporary floor markings
• Changing rooms will be unavailable with customers encouraged to shower and change at home (toilets will be available)
• Bring your own water bottle as the drinking fountains will be unavailable
• Arrive ‘light’ as there will not be anywhere to store bags or keys.

“Aura will be reviewing its new operating procedures upon re-opening and any necessary adjustments will be made accordingly. Please bear with us as we reintroduce and develop our leisure services on a phased basis.

Despite these changes, a friendly and helpful Aura team member will always be on hand to assist your visit in any way they can.”

Read frequently asked questions for the re-opening of Aura’s Leisure Centres from 10 August – click: here