Thanks to funding from the City of Edinburgh Council, Edinburgh Leisure were able to bring back a summer of fun safely to their venues across this city and supported 126 children and families living on low incomes to get active and enjoy their summer.
The Scottish Government released funding to local authorities across Scotland to help address the negative impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on the health and wellbeing of children and young people in Scotland.
The priority for this funding was to provide opportunities that allowed children and young people to socialise and reconnect with peers, get active and most importantly have fun, during the summer.
Edinburgh Leisure offered parents or guardians, living on a low income and wanted their child to have the opportunity to take part in fun, engaging and exciting sports this summer to apply for funded places.
Spaces were available on Edinburgh Leisure’s swimming, gymnastics, dance, and tennis programmes, with no cost to the family applying. The coaching programmes took place in a variety of venues across the city, at various dates, with some one-day sessions and some full-week activity programmes.
Edinburgh Leisure also offered 320 spaces for families to attend their AquaDash Extreme and Clip n Climb sessions.
Families who were eligible for the programme included children who receive school uniform and meal grants, care experienced children, young carers, children whose families are in receipt of Universal Credit and children supported by a child’s plan.
Tommy George, Community Development Manager at Edinburgh Leisure, said: “For many families, finances are really tight and getting involved in activities during the holidays can be prohibitive due to cost.
“Thanks to funding from the City of Edinburgh Council, however, we were able to support families living on low incomes to ‘Get Into Summer’ by getting active, learn key skills, build confidence and esteem, as well as having fun, in a safe environment.”
Edinburgh Leisure also provided a free football programme for young people from S1 to S6 to take part in and a weekly free ‘Sport on the Beach’ session at Portobello for primary school-aged children.
‘Lucky 7’ is the world’s favourite number. There are seven days of the week, seven colours of the rainbow, seven notes on a musical scale, seven seas, seven continents and footballers Ronaldo and Messi favour the number seven shirt.
If you’ve been inspired by the last few weeks of the Olympics, Edinburgh Leisure is inviting lucky non-members to rediscover getting active, by offering a 7-days’ fitness pass for only £7, where you can enjoy all the benefits of their ‘Full Fitness’ membership.
With 12 gyms, 8 swimming pools, and over 800+ fitness classes per week, customers can take advantage of all the benefits of Edinburgh Leisure’s ‘Full Fitness membership at the biggest club in town.
Edinburgh Leisure’s gyms feature some of the latest equipment with on-hand instructors who are happy to show customers ‘the ropes’ and how to use the equipment and have a range of swimming pools from five historic Victorian ‘baths’ to the famous Olympic-sized Royal Commonwealth Pool.
Their range of fitness classes has something for everyone, no matter what your fitness level is, including gym, water-based and virtual sessions, meaning you can work out at a time that suits you.
The 7-days for £7 pass is available to buy online and on the Edinburgh Leisure tablets located in venues from Monday, 16th August until 31st August.
The pass is available for 7 days starting from the day of registration. Other terms and conditions apply.
Edinburgh Leisure’s three soft play centres, Clambers at the Royal Commonwealth Pool, Scrambles at the EICA and Tumbles at Portobello will finally be reopening their doors to customers today, Monday, 19 July 2021.
Bookings for members went live at 9pm on Tuesday, 13 July and for non-members on Wednesday, 14 July.
Claire Rusack, Leisure Manager at the Royal Commonwealth Pool and Clambers said: “It’s been such a long time coming after an extended lock-down, which meant that we weren’t able to open as originally planned on 7th June, but we’re delighted that we can finally welcome back our youngest of customers and their parents and carers to let off some steam.
“So, for anyone with little ones who need to burn off some energy, make sure you’re not disappointed by pre-booking in advance for any sessions you want to attend via the Edinburgh Leisure app or website. And if you think you might be a regular customer, you might want to consider buying one of our soft-play memberships.”
Due to COVID-19 restrictions Edinburgh Leisure has had to adapt their offering with pre-booking done via the Edinburgh Leisure app or website only for all visits, either 8 days in advance for members or 7 days for non-members. No parties or special events can be booked at this stage.
All three venues will follow the same daily opening times from 9.30am-5pm, Monday to Sunday, with five pre-bookable slots of 60-minutes each to accommodate deep cleaning between each. At the start of each month, the frames will be treated with a 30-day virus protection.
Adults will book a table for a maximum of six people, which will include adults, children, and babies.
Adults can remove face coverings while seated at the table but will be required to wear them at all other times, especially when moving around the space. A café service will be available throughout all sessions. However, we are running a restricted menu at this time.
To adhere to Government guidelines, there will be no adults or staff allowed in the frames.
However, adults can enter the frame to support a child with additional support needs. All adults entering the frame or walking around the soft play area must wear a face covering. Space in baby areas where adults are present, will be limited, due to physical distancing.
Currently, frame capacity has been reduced to 40% of normal operating capacity, and ball pools and modular items have been removed.
The cost of a 60-minute session is: free for 0-6 months; £4.40 for 6 months – 2 years; and £6.80 for children 3 years and over.
And for regular soft-play attendees, there is an option to buy a membership, offering great value.
A monthly membership costs £16.70 for one child; £28.00 for two children; £33.80 for three children; and £39.50 for four children, which can be used at any of the three Edinburgh Leisure soft play centres across the city.
The Edinburgh Leisure app can be downloaded from the Google and App stores.
Don’t let the delay to the easing of Covid-19 restrictions stop you getting active this summer. If the Euros and Wimbledon are inspiring you to get moving, Edinburgh Leisure’s Summer Pass has everything you need for a sport filled summer and to stop you from being a couch-potato.
The ‘Summer Pass’, which goes on sale today, offers unlimited access to the city’s 12 state of the art gyms, 9 swimming pools, and 800+ fitness classes, and climbing at the EICA for £60 only. The pass lasts six weeks from the date of purchase, with the last day a customer can purchase a pass being 31 August 2021.
James Stockton, Sales Manager at Edinburgh Leisure, said: “With so many people having staycations this year, why not use this opportunity to get fit at the same time. Our Summer Pass is less than £10 per week to stay active, without committing to a membership.
“Classes like Zumba or Sh’bam are brilliant fun and a great way to get you in the mood to party, while a workout at the gym will boost your energy for the night ahead.
“We’ve also got some quick hit X-press gym classes, which use high intensity interval training (HIIT) methods with explosive bursts of speed and activity to achieve a total workout in a short period of time, as 30 minutes. And our digital boditrax machine, available at the Royal Commonwealth Pool gym, which gives you a full-body composition analysis, could help you track your progress.”
Edinburgh Leisure’s Summer Pass is available to buy online on the Edinburgh Leisure website – www.edinburghleisure.co.uk
While COVID-19 travel restrictions mean that many of us will be having staycations this year, Edinburgh Leisure has their own passport for a summer of fun for your children and the family.
With the summer holidays approaching, the city’s biggest sports and leisure provider, Edinburgh Leisure, is bringing back the summer fun safely to their centres. Whether you are looking for a one-off activity for the family to enjoy, or some fast-track lessons to help make up for lost time, Edinburgh Leisure has it covered.
For gymnastics and aqua camps, children can be booked in for a day or for the whole week. Early drop-offs and late pick-ups are available.
A must for anyone who enjoys water, at the Aqua Camp, children from the age of 7 years can enjoy a variety of pool activities whilst working towards recognised Scottish Swimming and Royal Life Saving Society awards.
Little gymnasts from Primary 1+ will be entertained by Edinburgh Leisure’s coaches with activities including technique practice, stretching, and conditioning, vault and bar sessions into Tumbles’ foam pits, beam sessions, coaching the coaches, learning how to judge, and working on a routine.
And with climbing set to feature for the first time at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, inspire them with the adventure and climbing camps at EICA Ratho. If your child is between 8-14 years old and new to climbing, the EICA’s week-long Adventure Camp brings together thrilling indoor and outdoor activities including climbing, Clip ‘n Climb, and abseiling.
For older children between 10-17 years, and more experienced climbers looking to get outdoors, Edinburgh Leisure’s Rock Camp combines bouldering and indoor sessions with outdoor ‘trad’ and sport climbing at some of Central Scotland’s most renowned crags.
And for children looking for some sports coaching lessons, there is lots of choice across the city whether your child wants to try something new, or just enjoy more of their favourite classes. Coaching sessions are available in tennis, swimming, gymnastics, diving, trampoline, climbing and dance.
And new for this year, is Swim Diving and Fun and Deep-Water Swimming and Fun sessions.
In Swim Diving and Fun, swimmers will learn how to shallow dive for swimming starts, this includes push and glide skills, handstands, surface dives and more. In Deep Water Swimming and Fun, the coaches cover the fun things everyone loves to do in deep water and how to keep safe near water. Being underwater is a lot of fun and there will be games and activities to help swimmers improve their underwater skills.
Also in the pool, there will be some Summer Diving session on the diving boards at the Commie Pool or for 9–14-year-olds, they can book into the pool with their friends for Edinburgh Leisure’s Junior Swim sessions.
And teens can also stay active in the holidays with the NRG Zone Gym Camps for S1 – 15-year-olds. With full access to Edinburgh Leisure’s well-equipped gyms, Edinburgh Leisure’s trained instructors will be on-hand to coach correct technique and use of equipment.
Gym access at any time accreditation is granted after completion of Edinburgh Leisure’s 5-day camp. Keep an eye on Edinburgh Leisure’s website for more information including how to book. It’s free to junior members but costs £21 for non-members.
And if you are looking for family activities, Edinburgh Leisure has lots of choices for the family to enjoy together and to burn off surplus energy.
The very first in Scotland, Edinburgh Leisure’s AquaDash and new AquaDash Extreme at the Royal Commonwealth Pool is a fantastic inflatable playground on water. Fun-seekers will slide, climb, and bounce their way through the thrilling obstacles, beating each one and racing friends and family.
Or take the experience to new heights with AquaDash Extreme, with its awesome addition of double slides from the 3m or 5m dive platforms. Spaces are popular, so make sure you book well in advance. Booking goes live 28 days before for each available session so ensure you check Edinburgh Leisure’s website regularly.
And Clip ‘n Climb at the Edinburgh International Climbing Arena will have the family reaching new heights with 15 climbing elements providing a range of features and levels suitable for children and adults. And it is suitable for beginners.
There’s also a Family Climb Taster session at the EICA. Even if you’ve never climbed before, this 90-minute taster session is for you. Children must be 4 years+ with at least 1 adult 18 years+ in the group for up to 3 children, or 2 adults 18 year+ in the group for up to 4 children. Maximum of 4 children per session.
To find out more about the activities and book online, visit:
The award-winning project, Ageing Well, run by Edinburgh Leisure in partnership with NHS Lothian, will be starting two new activities in July, to support people to become, and remain active in later life.
Starting on Thursday, 8th July, there will be a regular Walk around Saughton Walled Garden with a volunteer walk leader.
The walk is suitable for people who have not walked much before, and are looking to be more active, or are returning from injury or illness. The walk will take up to 30 minutes on flat ground or gentle slopes with firm surfaces and generally no steps.
Register your interest with active@edinburghleisure.co.uk. Participants should meet at the Garden Bistro, at 10.50am for an 11am start. A contribution of £1 is welcomed towards the activity.
There will also be an 11 weeks’ Cycle Skills Course, starting on Monday, 12th July. This will meet at Saughton Sports Centre initially, with a further 4 weeks on the cycle paths leaving from Ainslie Park Leisure Centre and a further 4 weeks leaving from Meggetland. Good quality bikes and helmets are supplied to trainees so there is no need to own your own.
This course is suitable for those who wish to take up cycling again after a lengthy absence but lack confidence. The course will give participants an opportunity to improve confidence on a bike; increase bike-handling skills; put in to practice the skills they are learning; and the introduction to cycle paths, on the last two weeks of the course.
The course is very relaxed, sociable, and fun and is based on the Cycling Scotland Bikeability material adapted for adults. A contribution of £2 per week is asked from trainees to help towards the running costs of the programme.
Since their activities reopened after COVID-19 restrictions lifted again at the beginning of April, they have been supporting 120 older adults to be active again. The emphasis is on meeting new people and making physical activity accessible and enjoyable. All activities are either led by or supported by fully trained volunteers, who are all older adults themselves.
For further information, to register your interest and/or to book a slot, contact the Active Communities team on active@edinburghleisure.co.uk
Calling all thrill seekers, Edinburgh Leisure is launching a new extreme element to AquaDash, its inflatable playground on water at the Royal Commonwealth Pool when it reopens on Saturday, 26 June 2021. Bookings are now live.
Two inflatable slides will be attached to the 3m and 5m diving platforms and will be available during some of the Saturday AquaDash sessions.
Two different types of sessions will be offered: AquaDash (normal offering) and AquaDash Extreme (which includes the slides). Customers who attend AquaDash Extreme will be able to move between the AquaDash assault course and the slides during their 45-minute sessions.
Launched by Edinburgh Leisure in February 2018, it was the very first in Scotland. Suitable for all fitness levels, AquaDash is the ideal activity for the full family to enjoy. Participants slide, climb, and bounce their way through thrilling challenges, beating each one and racing friends and family to victory. There is a bonkers bridge, slippery slide, wacky wiggle discs and adventurous action tower to name a few.
Customers aged 6 years can access AquaDash. There is no specific swim requirement although the activity is more enjoyable if participants have water confidence and some swimming ability.
Claire Rusack, Leisure Manager at Edinburgh Leisure said: “After the year everyone has had, AquaDash Extreme is sure to inject some excitement into life. AquaDash is fun but without the sun.
“Whilst we might not be blessed with wonderful continental weather, AquaDash promises all the excitement of an amusement water park but indoors in a safe environment that can be enjoyed by all family. And it promises a good workout at the same time.”
To ensure everyone remains safe, there have been some changes to the way AquaDash operates:
The maximum number has been reduced from 45 to 25 to ensure appropriate distancing between adults.
The safety briefing has been reviewed to include rules of play to ensure appropriate distancing is adhered to
There will be a break of 15 minutes between sessions to enable sanitising of the course.
Session times have been reduced from 50 minutes to 45 minutes to enable these changes.
AquaDash/AquaDash Extreme* will be available on the following days:
Saturday
13.45, 14.45*, 15.45*, 16.45*, 17.45*.
Sunday
08.45, 09.45, 10.45, 11.45, 12.45.
The basic AquaDash sessions will cost £10.00 for an adult and £8.50 for a junior. AquaDash Extreme will cost £12.00 for adults and £10.50 for juniors and last 45-minutes.
All sessions will need to be pre-booked and paid online.
Customers will be able to book 28 days in advance (rolling booking date).
With Edinburgh Leisure’s gyms, pools, fitness classes and climbing arena open, they are encouraging you to spring into summer with an enticing no-joining-fee offer. At a time when health has never been so important, their latest offer could be just what you need to kick start your fitness regime.
The no-joining-fee offer is available on new memberships and can be bought online on the Edinburgh Leisure website from Tuesday, 1 June to Wednesday, 30 June and is applicable to all fitness, swim, gym, class and climb memberships.
The Edinburgh Leisure experience may be different from before Covid-19 with new customers needing to join online rather than in venue and pre-booking required for all activities, but customers will still receive the warm, Edinburgh Leisure welcome.
Edinburgh Leisure continues to operate in a cashless environment, accepting contactless payments; and safety remains important with enhanced cleaning taking place and additional sanitisation stations available throughout the venue for use before and after each visit; and timetabled activities with staggered start times to reduce congestion.
With 50+ venues across the city, including a world class climbing centre, 6 golf courses, 9 swimming pools, 10 state of the art gyms and 800+ fitness classes per week across the various centres, Edinburgh Leisure is the biggest club in town, with something for everyone to enjoy moving and getting fitter.
Duke and Duchess of Cambridge experience LTA Youth – the LTA’s new and innovative junior tennis programme
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were today given a first-hand introduction to LTA Youth, the new LTA programme that will help more children enjoy the benefits of playing and staying in tennis – whatever their age, gender, ability, disability or background.
The Duke and Duchess were visiting Edinburgh Leisure’s Craiglockhart Tennis Centre to learn more about the new programme and take part in a series of LTA Youth drills with local children.
After an explanation of the principles behind the programme by Scott Lloyd (Chief Executive, LTA) and Olly Scadgell (Participation Director, LTA) the Duke and Duchess went on court to join children from Canal View Primary School, Edinburgh, and try their hand at three fun games that help teach progressive skills for tennis as well as for other sports.
Firstly they did a hopscotch warm up, before picking up racket and ball to play floor tennis against a partner. The Royal couple competed with the children to see who could keep rallies going the longest.
Finally Their Royal Highnesses each captained a team of children in an epic game of ‘team cones’ with each child playing a mini match against the others to secure a point for their team.
Graham Watson (Chair, Tennis Scotland) and Blane Dodds (Chief Executive, Tennis Scotland) explained about the implementation of the programme in Scotland and the opportunity for parents to book courses locally.
Before leaving all the children present were given LTA Youth rackets to inspire them on their journey to becoming young tennis players.
Scott Lloyd, LTA Chief Executive, said: “It was great to be able to show Their Royal Highnesses our new junior tennis programme first hand.
“LTA Youth is designed to be fun, inclusive and competitive and help children enjoy tennis whatever their age. Courses across the country can be booked via the LTA website.”
LTA Youth courses are available to book now across Britain at:
Edinburgh Leisure is joining forces with city-based charity, NappiRunz, to support families struggling with nappy poverty by offering free swim nappies at four of their swimming venues.
The swim nappies will be available at Edinburgh Leisure’s Gracemount Leisure Centre, Drumbrae Leisure Centre, Ainslie Park Leisure Centre and the Royal Commonwealth Pool. Customers will be able to request a single nappy per child, per visit, no questions asked.
Ed Bethune, Duty Manager at Gracemount Leisure Centre said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Nappirunz in providing free swim nappies to families who might have found the cost of nappies prohibitive to come swimming and get active.
“All a customer needs to do to receive a swim nappy is to ask one of Welcome Hosts at the reception desk in each centre. No questions will be asked by us, other than to check what size the customer needs.”
The scheme will start on Wednesday, 19 May and will be dependent on stock levels. As Nappirunz receive more stock, they will deliver more to the four sites.
Set up in 2015 by Toyin Ware, NappiRunz provides support to families by collecting unused nappies from the local community and donating them to other charities and organisations that support families in need.
Toyin Ware said: “Nappy poverty can have such a huge impact on not just the hygiene and wellbeing needs of the child but for the parent or caregiver too.
“It’s great that another charity, Edinburgh Leisure, can help in our cause by distributing the swim nappies, meaning families will have one less barrier to keeping active.”
Edinburgh Leisure is a charity on a mission to help people lead healthier, happier, more active lives. They run over 50 sport and leisure venues and are committed to creating opportunities for everyone to get active and stay active.
Their Active Communities Programme harnesses the power of physical activity and sport to tackle inequalities and combat the effects of inactivity.
