Exercising safely in Tier 3

Dear Members,

From the 19^th December Bedford will be a Tier 3 area, and we are obliged to operate within the restrictions that apply to this Tier. As a result, there will be a number of changes to the way that we operate the Club that will take effect from the 19^th December. The good news is there is still plenty you can do at the Club in Tier 3 and we have listed these below. Following this overview of what you can do, we provide a complete list of our COVID operating rules for each area of the Club.

We know there is a lot to take in, but please do read it carefully and re-familiarise yourself with the COVID rules and the changes in Tier 3.

What you can do in Tier 3

• Swimming.
• Use the hydropool, sauna and steam room.
• Use the gym.
• Book a 1:1 PT session.
• Play tennis, squash, table tennis with members of your household.
• Solo practice on the courts.
• Book a 1:1 tennis or squash lesson with one of our coaches.
• Junior members can have swimming lessons and racquets coaching as normal. The term starts week commencing 11th January and booking is open now.
• Utilise your Club Towers Live subscription and do a class online.
• Use the creche (once open again in January).
• Get takeaway drinks and snacks from the Club Lounge.
• Book a 20-minute free zoom nutrition consultation with our in house coach, or sign up to our new course Master the Fundamentals of Healthy Eating starting in just 16 weeks starting on the 8th January.

Hopefully, you will agree there is plenty available still to keep us all fit and healthy and keep a smile on our faces in Tier 3!

Detailed COVID Tier 3 Guidance for Members by Area

We have put considerable thought into how we can safely operate during this COVID time, allowing our members to enjoy the benefits of regular exercise.

The good news is that our Club is one of the safest around. Being new, the high quality and modern air handling systems ensure large quantities of fresh air are constantly being pumped around the building. In addition, our normal cleaning regime has always been good, and we have enhanced this further since re-opening. The measures outlined below enable as many members as possible to use the Club throughout the day, whilst still ensuring that we can all stay suitably “socially distanced” and hence, as safe as possible.   

We will start with some general points before moving onto the various areas of the Club:

When Visiting the Club:

• Please remember your membership card. If you do not, you may have to wait to enter until we have let in those that have their cards. Only one barrier will be in operation and we want to ensure a speedy entry to avoid crowding at the entrance.
• We will be using the main entrance to enter the Club and exiting through the Club Lounge doors. Please follow the signs and do not try to exit out of the front doors.
• Hand sanitiser will be provided at the front door – please use this before you enter.
• To help protect our staff and our members, masks are now compulsory when entering the Club and moving around the common areas. Obviously, we do not expect you to wear a mask when exercising.
• Please come changed and ready to exercise and leave your bags in the car if possible. We wish to keep locker room use to a minimum, and we anticipate main use will be by members using the pool and spa.
• In the locker rooms, the hand dryers and hair dryers have been disabled. Please use the paper towels provided to dry your hands.
• Please follow the floor signs when moving around the Club. When using the stairs please stay on the left.
• Note that we are not taking cash payments, so please bring your card/phone.
• Please bring water with you to the Club. Our water fountains will remain in use to fill bottles, but we would like to keep their use to a minimum.  

Tier 3 Rules per area

Classes

Indoor group activities and exercise classes cannot take place and our timetable of classes will cease until further notice.  

We will continue to stream classes whilst in Tier 3 for you to do at home. This service is included in all active and frozen memberships. Please email [email protected] for an access code if you do not have one already.

Gym

The most important point to note is that you will need to book a timeslot in the gym. Time slots will start quarter past the hour from 6.15am and will run for 45 minutes (e.g. 8.15am to 9am, or 7.15pm to 8pm). This will allow 15 mins of “changeover time” to allow members to clean the kit they have been using and exit the gym, and enable our staff to do some additional cleaning before the next group enters. Please note:

• Please book your session through the App. You will be able to book up to nine, 45-minute sessions in a rolling week period.
• Numbers will be limited to 35 in each session. If you don’t have a booked slot you will not be able to use the gym.  
• Half of the gym kit has been taken out of use, to allow adequate spacing between stations.
• Please wipe down your kit, before and after use. There will be plenty of blue roll and disinfectant spray available. Our team will also be doing extra cleaning in the gym to ensure that kit remains as clean as possible.
• Our popular parent & junior gym sessions for 12-15 year olds are back up and running . Please note that BOTH the 12-15 year old and the parent will need to book a slot at the same time, and the usual close supervision rules will apply. Please refer to the timetables on the website or in the Club for days and times of these sessions.
• You can book your PT sessions directly with your PT as normal. These will remain 1 hour sessions and can be booked immediately.

Please do be courteous when using the gym and do not “hog a station” for too long. If there are others waiting for the free weights area, we are asking you limit your time to 15 minutes. Please move regularly onto different pieces of kit. 

Tennis

Our courts are all classed as indoor, and hence the restrictions are tighter than for outdoor tennis.

What is now allowed?

• Singles and doubles tennis with members of the same household.
• Singles & doubles for the disabled and supervised activity for U18s. 
• 1-2-1 Coaching with one of our coaching team.
• Group or individual coaching for U18 juniors.
• Junior competitions (U18).

The above list means that adult double or single play with other households is not allowed. Nor is socialising either before or after singles play.

The singles Club Championships will be put on hold.

The booking system remains unchanged and the general COVID guidelines continue to apply, namely:

• Please don’t congregate around the entrances to the courts. If they are already in use, please wait some distance away and stay socially distanced until your start time. There are designated queuing areas outside the indoor and outdoor courts to allow this and we would ask you wait beyond the exit gate for members beside the dome if the match before has not finished.
• Please replace your towel (and any other kit) in your racquet bag after use, and don’t leave it lying on the court or bench during your match. 
• Please use the hand sanitisers after you have finished your game.
• Please bring your own balls and racquets as we are unable to lend at the moment. Balls are available to buy

Squash

The squash courts will remain open for the following:

• Solo practice
• Match play against someone from the same household
• One-to-one coaching with adults using socially distanced practices.
• Junior group coaching sessions.

Note that no match play or socially distanced practices are allowed between members of different households in Tier 3.

The general COVID rules for our squash players continue as previously, namely:

• Please sanitise your hands before and after play.
• Please do not wipe sweaty hands on the wall or glass backs.
• Please put your towel and other equipment, straight into your bag.
• Stay back from the doors and allow the previous court users to exit safely before trying to enter the court.
• Please bring your own balls and racquets as we are unable to lend at the moment. Balls are available to buy.

Swimming & Hydropool

As for the gym, the most important point to note is that you will need to book a timeslot in the pool and spa. Time slots will start at quarter past the hour and quarter to the hour and will last for a maximum of one hour. So, for example you would be able to book a slot from 7.15am to 8.15am, or from 5.45pm to 6.45pm.

Please note:

• Please book your session through the App. You will be able to book up to 4 sessions in a rolling 7-day period. If you don’t have a booked slot you will not be able to use the pool/spa.  
• Parents wishing to swim with a young child will need to book their child in via Reception if they do not have an email address and log in for that child. Both parent and child will require a booking.
• Total numbers in the pool and hydropool will be limited to 14 per hour, with a maximum of 4 in the hydropool (two in seats and two in beds) at any one time.
• You may use the locker rooms, but please do wipe down the locker handle after use.
• Four showers will be in use in each locker room. Please do not forget to shower before using either of the pools.  
• Sunbeds will not be in use – either inside or outside.
• Please bring a clean towel and hang it on the pegs provided so that you are in the locker rooms for the minimum time possible.  
• We are running parent & baby sessions and swimming lessons during term time as normal. During these activities it will not be possible to book a slot to use the pool or spa.

Please do be courteous when using the pool and spa. In particular, please do not stay in the hydropool for more than 10-15 minutes to allow everyone a fair chance to use it.

Sauna & Steam Room

We are pleased to be able to keep our sauna and steam room open in Tier 3, but as ever, we are mindful of the need to do so safely. The process for booking and using the sauna and steam room is one that has safety very much in mind. The process works as follows:

• Only one person will be permitted in each of the sauna and steam room at a time.
• Members wishing to use the sauna and steam room will book a 15-minute slot on the day at Reception, when they arrive at the Club. Please enter the Club first and then speak to Reception from the Club side of the barrier. Note that you will not be able to book slots before the day of use, and Reception will not accept telephone bookings.
• Before using either sauna or steam room, please clean/sanitise the part of the bench you plan to sit on. Cleaning materials will be provided outside the room.
• After your session, please clean/sanitise the area around where you sat, and then sanitise your hands using the hand sanitiser provided.
• Please take a towel in with you and sit on the towel.
• In addition to our usual daily clean of the sauna/steam room, we will be introducing a second thorough clean of both in the middle of the day, which will mean closing each unit for around an hour.

Please could members also note:

• You will not be able to book back-to-back sessions in sauna of steam room, although you can book a sauna session followed by a steam room session (or vice versa). Health guidelines state that it is not recommended to spend more than 10 minutes in either sauna or steam room. We have used 15 minute slots to allow 5 minutes for cleaning and changeover between members.
• If your allotted time has arrived and another member is still in the sauna or steam room, please politely knock the door and ask them to leave.
• A booked session in either sauna or steam room does not entitle a member to use either the hydropool or the swimming pool.  If you wish to use these then you must continue to book a swimming session booked on the App. This is very important as we need to continue to control numbers in the pools.   

Soft Play

• Sadly, the soft play area must remain out of action for the time being. We know how much our younger members love the soft play but we are currently unable to meet the Government safety guidelines, which includes amongst many things, pre-bookings, extensive cleaning and a one way system for entry and exit. We will of course continue to monitor this.

Creche

• The creche will remain open but sessions must be booked in advance as we only staff the creche when there is demand for it. Opening hours are Monday-Friday, 9-1pm, at a cost of £6 per hour, with a discount for block bookings. Information about the changes we have made to ensure we can open safely can be found here. If you have any further questions or would like to arrange a tour, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our Creche team, either in the Club or through [email protected]

Club Lounge

Our kitchen will be closed but the Club Lounge will be open and be serving takeaway drinks, snacks and baguettes throughout the day.

Unfortunately, members may not sit in the Club Lounge to eat or drink, it is Takeaway only.

Guests

Members are not allowed to buy guest passes for any area of the Club unless they are using a voucher issued through our Premium Membership programme.

Finally, apologies for the length of the blog, but there is a lot to communicate! If you have any questions or concerns, then we are here to help. Please send us an email to [email protected] or give us a call and speak to reception.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Matthew, Steve and the Club Towers Team