Everyone Active, which operates Council-owned Fareham Leisure Centre and Holly Hill Leisure Centre has confirmed it will reopen both leisure centres to the public from Wednesday 29th July for gym use and group exercise. The swimming pools will reopen to the public from 1st August.

The decision to reopen follows agreement in principle of a COVID-19 recovery deal between Everyone Active and Fareham Borough Council of up to £1.83 million.

A report https://moderngov.fareham.gov.uk/documents/s24327/Covid%2019%20Impact%20on%20Leisure%20Centres%20-%20Summary.pdf seeks approval from the Council’s Executive for agreement in principle to the funding. It also asks the Executive to proceed with the planned capital expenditure of £6.81 million to enhance the leisure facilities at both centres.

The two figures amount to a huge sum totalling more than £8.5 million which is a significant investment from the Council and reflects the importance it places on leisure for the community.

As has been widely reported, leisure centres across the country have lost a huge amount of income and, to date, the Government has not announced any financial support packages specifically for them. Over the past few weeks the Council has been working closely with Everyone Active, the operator of both leisure centres, to understand the level of support they need to continue to ensure leisure facilities are available for all our residents to enjoy.

The report also sets out our plans for improvements to the leisure centres, particularly Fareham Leisure Centre which, having served the community for 40 years, will benefit from the exciting changes proposed by Everyone Active.