Leisure services information
Leisure centres
Chesterfield Borough Council leisure centres set to reopen
Chesterfield Borough Council is looking forward to welcoming customers back to its leisure centres when they reopen this coming Saturday, 25 July.
Queen’s Park Sports Centre and Staveley Healthy Living Centre have been prepared ahead of Saturday’s reopening in line with the guidelines issued by Government and the leisure industry to ensure customer and staff safety.
Councillor Jill Mannion-Brunt, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “It is fantastic news that the council’s leisure centres will be back open for business from this weekend.
“I know lots of customers will be very keen to get back to their fitness regimes. Exercise in its many different forms is great for people’s physical health and mental wellbeing.
“We have had to make a lot of changes to how we provide the services on offer, and so I would encourage customers to read the guidance on our website before visiting the centres.”
Book in sessions in advance
Customers will need to book sessions in advance in order to visit the leisure centres and sessions will be time limited. This will allow for cleaning to take place between customers’ visits. Customers’ contact details will also be retained as part of NHS test and trace requirements.
Register to become a Leisure centre user
Customers who are not already a member of the leisure centres will need to become registered users in order to visit. This can be done free of charge by contacting either of the leisure centres by email or phone.
Queen’s Park Sports Centre and Staveley Healthy Living Centre have both been deep cleaned, equipment in both gyms has been moved to make it easier for customers to practise social distancing and signage has been installed throughout the centres to remind customers of expected behaviours.
There will be limited access to changing rooms and lockers for customers wishing to swim; customers should arrive ‘beach-ready’ by wearing their swimming costumes under their clothes. After swimming customers are asked to towel themselves dry, put on their clothes and shower at home.
New cleaning stations have been installed in our gyms and customers will be asked to clean equipment before and after use. Changing rooms, lockers and water fountains will not be in use. Customers should bring pre-filled water bottles for their personal use when visiting the centres.
The council has taken advice from leisure governing bodies including Swim England and UK Active in order to ensure its reopening plans are safe and in line with industry best practice.
Customers will notice that screens have been installed in reception areas and one-way systems introduced to support customers to maintain social distancing when visiting the centres.
Fitness classes will be running on a changed timetable and with reduced class sizes. For further details on classes and how to book your place please visit our website: sport and leisure
Membership payments will recommence from the start of September. Should customers wish to continue to suspend their memberships they should contact the leisure centre where they are registered. For customers who pay their leisure centre memberships on an annual basis, the weeks during which the leisure centres were closed will be added on to their memberships at the end of the 12-month period.
Plans to restart swimming, gymnastics and trampolining lessons for children are currently being made and the council expects to announce more details in the next few weeks.
A comprehensive guide to frequently asked questions about the council’s leisure centre reopening plans has been added to our website.
You can access these here: Leisure centres re-opening - frequently asked quesitons
Leisure centre staff will be on site from Monday 20 July to answer queries customers may have and to enable non-members to become registered users.
Please feel free to contact the Queen’s Park Sports Centre team on 01246 345555 between 8am and 5pm or email qpscenquiries@chesterfield.gov.uk and the Staveley Healthy Living Centre team on 01246 345666 between 9am and 5pm or email hlcenquiries@chesterfield.gov.uk.
The team have also put together a selection of downloadable resources that can be used to support your child’s education around health and fitness. These cover a range of topics from swimming to gymnastics and can be downloaded from the council’s website.
The midwifery team based at Queen’s Park Sports Centre are still taking appointments, please contact the midwifery team directly to discuss arrangements for visiting the Centre.
Anyone who is a member of our leisure centres will have their membership suspended. Direct debit payments will not be collected until our centres return to being fully operational.
For further information or advice on membership suspension please email your enquiry to (for Queen’s Park Sports Centre) qpscenquiries@chesterfield.gov.uk / (for the Healthy Living Centre) hlcenquiries@chesterfield.gov.uk
Our staff have been working extremely hard to respond to our customer enquiries. If you do contact one of our centres, please bear with the team as they are responding to a significant number of enquiries at this time.
If you regularly pay Council Tax, rent or make any other payments at the Healthy Living Centre, these should now be made online or by calling 01246 345345.
Leisure centres re-opening - frequently asked questions
Find out more about the re-opening of our leisure centres here.
A guide to staying active at home during the coronavirus outbreak
Also see:
Chair exercises
Parks and open spaces
With the easing of Government restrictions, it means our residents can spend longer in the borough’s parks and exploring our green spaces, but social distancing guidelines will still apply.
You must always be two metres away from anyone not in your household, this includes other family members who do not live with you.
The council’s multi-use games areas and basketball courts, including those in Brearley Park, Stand Road and Wain Avenue, will be re-opened from this weekend. These areas can only be used by individuals with members of their own household or with one other person from another household while staying 2 metres apart. The borough’s skateparks and the Petanque area at Holmebrook Valley Country Park will also be available for use from this weekend.
Please note the council will not be re-opening the 3G pitches in Queen’s Park from this weekend.
The council is also currently working with several local sports clubs with regards the opening of other outdoor sports facilities including tennis courts, fishing lakes and bowling greens. These conversations are continuing, and further updates will be provided next week.
Playgrounds and outdoor gyms in parks will remain closed; the council has placed appropriate signage at these facilities to highlight this. Play equipment cannot be easily or regularly cleaned and its use therefore presents a risk of further spreading the virus.
More information on the Government’s guidelines is available on the FAQs on the Government website.
Play areas and outdoor gyms
Chesterfield Borough Council is pleased to announce the re-opening of the borough’s play areas and outdoor gyms.
Following the Government’s direction that play areas and outdoor gyms could re-open, the council has been working hard to safely re-open these facilities. A number of measures have been introduced to ensure that everyone can have a safe and enjoyable time when visiting, whilst still maintaining social distancing.
Councillor Jill Mannion-Brunt, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “We have some great outdoor spaces in the borough, including our play areas and outdoor gyms, and with the school holidays coming up soon I would encourage residents to enjoy these facilities again now lockdown measures are beginning to ease.
“Steps have been taken at some play areas to support social distancing and I would ask everyone to follow the safety guidelines displayed on signs at each of our outdoor spaces. Please do look after yourselves and your families.”
Adults accompanying children to the play areas should be limited to one per household to allow more children to use the equipment, and we would encourage families to come back later if play areas are busy.
To help control the spread of Coronavirus, the council is also requesting that all visitors wash their hands or use anti-bacterial gel before and after using the play or outdoor gym equipment.
Play areas
Signage will be available outside each play area.
When visiting an open play area, please remember to keep your distance from others outside of your family or social bubble, especially when waiting to use a piece of equipment that is already in use.
Some play areas will have a maximum number of users at any one time. This will be clearly marked on the signs around the play area. Please respect this limit, it is there to help control the spread of Coronavirus and keep you and other visitors safe.
If you are using a piece of equipment and someone is waiting, then please be considerate and limit your time so that everyone has the opportunity to use it.
Adults accompanying children on the play area should be limited to one per household. This will allow as many children and families as possible can use the equipment.
Please wash your hands or use anti-bacterial gel before using the equipment and again after the play session.
No food or drink is to be consumed in any of the borough’s play areas.
Please remember that parents and children use play areas at their own risk. By following the guidelines, you can help us control the spread of the virus and make sure our play areas are safe for our community to use.
Outdoor gyms
Please remember to keep your distance from others outside of your family or group especially when waiting to use a piece of equipment that is already in use.
Some pieces of gym equipment will have a maximum number of users at any one time, this will be marked on the signage on site. Please respect the limit, it is there to help control the spread of the virus.
If you are using a piece of equipment and someone is waiting then please be considerate and limit your time so that everyone has the opportunity to use it.
Either wash your hands or use anti-bacterial gel before and after using the equipment.
Please bring a towel with you and wipe down each piece of equipment after use.
Drinks in exercise bottles are allowed. However, no other food or drink is to be consumed in the outdoor gyms.
Please remember that you use this equipment at your own risk, and you must follow the guidelines above in order to help us stop the spread of Coronavirus.
Click here to find out more about public toilets in our parks.
Chesterfield Theatres
In line with the recent Government announcements the Winding Wheel Theatre will remain closed . All events up to and including this date have now been cancelled or postponed.
Customers can once again book tickets to enjoy their favourite films in the ornate surroundings of the country’s oldest Civic Theatre – Chesterfield’s Pomegranate Theatre.
The Grade II Listed venue will be screening a wide range of films to suit all ages and Chesterfield Borough Council is looking forward to offering a warm welcome back to all its customers from Friday 24 July.
The theatres team has put in place comprehensive measures to ensure a safe environment for audiences and staff.
Tickets for the screenings must be pre-booked online at www.chesterfieldtheatres.co.uk. As well as avoiding disappointment by guaranteeing your seat, pre-booking tickets will also help to reduce contact and queues at the box office. It will also help the theatre easily gather contact details, which is required as part of NHS Test and Trace.
Find out more
The Box Office team are currently contacting all customers who have booked tickets for cancelled or re-arranged performances.
Please bear in mind that a large number of customers are affected by these changes, so it may take longer than expected for the Box Office to contact you.
Full details of all the changes to performances can be found on the Chesterfield Theatres website.
Tickets for events later in the year, including the pantomime, can still be booked by visiting the Chesterfield Theatres website.
Chesterfield museum
Chesterfield Museum will remain closed until further notice and all museum events are cancelled until early October.
This is due to the popularity of museum events and the limited space within the museum that makes social distancing during these events exceptionally difficult.
Revolution House will not be opening for the summer season and all events are cancelled.
The council still hopes to be able to open Revolution House for its usual Christmas opening period.
The Museums team are currently appealing for members of the public to share stories, memories, images and items from lockdown, in order to add to the collection and help remember this unprecedented crisis and the impact it has had on Chesterfield borough.
To find out more and share your stories please contact the team via the Chesterfield Museum Facebook page or email: museum.collections@chesterfield.gov.uk
Victory in Europe Day (VE Day)
Chesterfield Borough Council had planned a wide range of events to celebrate the 75th anniversary of VE Day, however due to the coronavirus outbreak these have had to be cancelled. But the council is still working hard to commemorate this important occasion and highlight ways that local residents can get involved.
Councillor Kate Sarvent, cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy and our Armed Forces Champion, said: “The VE Day celebrations planned for Chesterfield would have been truly special, underpinned by our fantastic events programme. Given the ongoing crisis we are encouraging residents to find that blitz spirit and come up with unique ways to commemorate and remember this day at home. For a lot of veterans this is a chance to reflect on their service, and for us to remember and thank them for the sacrifices they and our communities made.”
In the build up to VE Day the council will be holding a countdown across its social media pages to support everyone to get involved and to share some of the great ways that Chesterfield’s residents will be helping the town and borough to commemorate VE Day.
The Council’s Museum event was originally planned by a group called History’s Maid, who were going to be putting on live performances at the Museum; however, they have now produced a series of videos that cover the final months of the war from the perspective of a British soldier. These performances will help people connect with the past and provide important historical insight. They will be released every day at 11am on the Museum’s Facebook page.
The Museum has also created a special resource centre that includes activities for the whole family. This includes World War Two themed baking, quizzes and craft activities. You can access these on the museum website.
Please send the council images of your bunting, baking and anything else you’re doing to help commemorate VE Day via our Facebook page, we’d love to share these with everyone to help make it a special event.
There are also lots of great educational resources that we will be sharing to help parents teach their children about World War Two.
The council will also be promoting activities planned by the Department of Culture, Media & Sport, the Royal British Legion and SSAFA - The Armed Forces Charity amongst others on its social media channels.
Keep an eye on the both the Museum’s and the Council’s main Facebook pages for more information.
Visitor information centre
Due to Covid-19 the Visitor Information Centre and Chesterfield Museum are closed until further notice. We will continue to provide a telephone service for customers.
Throughout the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak Chesterfield Borough Council has been responding to new requirements and updating the services provided in line with the latest Government guidance.
All of the latest service-related updates can be found in the dedicated Coronavirus information hub.
Online library services
Derbyshire County Council offers borrowers access to eBooks, audio books, eMagazines and eNewspapers online, 24/7.
Existing library members can use their library borrower number and pin number to access the resources online. To find out more about the service, visit their website.
New users wishing to join can apply online.
Beat the Street
Together with our partners we have had to end our Beat the Street game.
Councillor Jill Mannion-Brunt, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “We have seen lots of people get more active thanks to Beat the Street, so we’re very sad to see this end, however, we must assist the government in ensuring people follow the latest guidance to stay at home to stop the coronavirus spreading.
“Even though Beat the Street is ending early, our partners and game operator, Intelligent Health would still love to know what you thought of the game. Please complete our Beat the Street survey and you could be in with a chance of winning prizes.”
Beat Boxes will no longer function, and the leader board has been frozen. Winners will be announced on social media and prizes will be sent out via email and post.
Car boot sale
The car boot sale that takes place at Rose Hill Car Park in Chesterfield is being cancelled until further notice. The decision has been made to cancel the cmar boot sale because it is not a priority service and the council needs to focus its efforts on maintaining essential services. The car boot sale takes place every Sunday at Rose Hill Car Park in Chesterfield (behind the Town Hall) from 7am to noon.
You can find all of the latest updates relating to changes to council services due to coronavirus on our website or by following us on Facebook or Twitter.
Events
Chesterfield’s virtual Medieval Fun Day
Chesterfield Borough Council will be hosting a virtual Medieval Fun Day next week, with talks and videos available throughout the day on the Chesterfield Museum Facebook page.
The virtual Medieval Fun Day will take place on Tuesday 28 July, the day when this ever-popular annual event had been due to be held in Chesterfield town centre. Unfortunately, this year’s event has been cancelled due to the current Coronavirus pandemic.
Find out more
Cancellation of Chesterfield 1940’s Market, Fireworks Extravaganza and Christmas Lights Switch On
Chesterfield Borough Council has taken the difficult decision to cancel the 1940s Market, Chesterfield Fireworks Extravaganza and the Christmas Lights Switch On that were due to take place later this year.
With coronavirus laws currently prohibiting public gatherings and no certainty about what the future holds with the potential for further lockdown measures to be reinstated this autumn and winter, the council has reluctantly come to this decision.
Due to the scale of these events, which attract upwards of 20,000 visitors to Stand Road Recreation Ground and the town centre, this is a critical planning period for the council. Contracts would routinely have been let by now to key suppliers and it simply isn’t fair for the council to keep local businesses and organisations hanging on when they could be focussing their efforts on other events that have a better chance of being held..
Councillor Kate Sarvent, cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy, said: “I understand that lots of people will be very disappointed by this decision. The council really enjoys working on these events and we know how important they are to our residents, traders and retailers.
“The problem is that we don’t know what the future holds, and just as the public need certainty about their safety, the many partners who commit their time and money to help us to deliver these events also need certainty.
“We fully expect these fantastic events to return to the Chesterfield festivals and events programme in 2021.”
The popular 1940’s market was set to take place in the town centre on Thursday 29 October, the Chesterfield Fireworks Extravaganza on Thursday 5 November at Stand Road Recreation Ground and the Christmas Lights Switch On on Sunday 15 November, again in the town centre.
Walking festival
Together with our partners, we have taken the difficult decision to cancel the Chesterfield Area Walking Festival, which was scheduled to take place in mid-May.
This decision was taken in order to ensure that proper social distancing measures, as recommended by the Government, can be maintained and we can ensure the health and wellbeing of the volunteers who support the festival.
Our Visitor Information Centre team are working hard to ensure that anyone who has booked tickets for the festival is informed of the changes. We will refund any customers who have paid for tickets. Please be patient with the team and wait for them to contact you, they are receiving a high number of enquires and it is taking slightly longer than usual to reply to everyone.
Chesterfield pride
Chesterfield pride has been postponed from 19 July 2020, due to the Coronavirus outbreak. The organisers are working on date to reschedule the event and will release the new date on their social media accounts. Anyone who has purchased tickets for the July date, these tickets will transfer to the new event date.
Redbrik Foundation Chesterfield 10K
The all-new Redbrik Foundation Chesterfield 10k will take place at 10 am on 17 October 2021, starting from Queen’s Park.
It will replace the Redbrik Chesterfield Half Marathon, with the expectation that the ‘more accessible’ 10k distance will increase runner participation and in turn, increase charity partner revenue while supporting the health and wellbeing of local people.
Find out more.
Leisure services key contacts:
Healthy Living Centre
General email enquiries: hlcenquiries@chesterfield.gov.uk
Cancellations email: hlccancellations@chesterfield.gov.uk *
Social media: Healthy Living Centre Facebook page
Queens Park Sports Centre
General email enquiries: qpscenquiries@chesterfield.gov.uk
Cancellations email: qpsccancellations@chesterfield.gov.uk *
Social media: Queen’s Park Sports Centre Facebook page
* Sports centre cancellations
For cancellations information please see our cancellations policy.
Museums and theatres
Customer Services: 01246 345345
Online contact form: enquiry form
Visitor information centre
Email: tourism@chesterfield.gov.uk
Website: Visit Chesterfield
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