Published: Wednesday, 19 August 2020

Swimmers in Oxford will be able to get back in the pool on 21 August as the Ferry Pool reopening has been urgently prioritised by Oxford City Council and Fusion Lifestyle.

Swimming was expected to be available at Hinksey Outdoor Pool this August, but a leak in one of the pipes made the facility unsafe to open as planned on 8 August. As a result Fusion Lifestyle and the City Council focused on getting an alternative facility open as quickly as possible. The Ferry Leisure Centre is already open for gym and exercise classes, and has cleaning procedures and staffing in place that mean reopening the pool can be done faster than at other centres.

Safety checks are underway and the pool is being heated up, ready for the first users this weekend. At this stage the main pool will open on 21 August with the learner pool to follow on 22 August, for lane swimming sessions and family swimming between 08:00 – 20:00 on weekdays and 08:00 – 16:00 on weekends.

Users will need to book in advance for a 50 minute session, to ensure numbers are kept within social distancing guidelines. Those planning to visit will be required to book and pay online, minimising contact required at the centre and allowing for the test and trace process to be implemented. Online booking will available from 19 August. In line with government guidance changing facilities and showers will not open, swimmers need to arrive ready to swim. Further details will be published on the Ferry Leisure Centre website.

“It’s great news that the pool at Ferry will be opening to provide swimming facilities alongside the gym and classes that are already back in use. As soon as we discovered the issues with Hinksey Pool, we agreed with Fusion to urgently bring forward the date for Ferry Pool to reopen. The safety checks are being finalised and we look forward to swimming being back on offer as soon as they are complete.

“I know many were disappointed when Hinksey Pool was unable to open, and that users may have to travel further than normal to access our swimming at the moment. I would like to ask people to bear with us and to be assured that we know the value of our leisure facilities to local communities, we are working with Fusion Lifestyle to devise an affordable plan for phased reopening.”

Councillor Linda Smith, Cabinet Member for Leisure and Parks

“We know our leisure facilities are really important for the health and well-being of the local community and we have been working in partnership with Oxford City Council to get them open again as soon as they are safe and viable to do so. Therefore, we are so pleased to announce that we will now be opening the pools at Ferry Leisure Centre on the 21 August following the opening of the gym and group exercise on the 3 August.

“We are reviewing our plans for the remaining facilities and will open these when they are safe and viable to do so. We hope the residents of Oxford will bear with us whilst we implement our re-opening plans and they can soon enjoy their centres once again.”

Anthony Cawley, Director of Operations for Fusion Lifestyle

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