READING'S Rivermead Leisure Centre celebrated the end of lockdown by offering keen fitness fanatics the chance of a ‘Dawn Dip’ with a special early opening at 7am on Wednesday, December 2.

Staff have been eagerly awaiting the return of customers since the doors were closed due to the second national lockdown on November 5, and now the pool is back up and running.

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Since December 2, leisure facilities across England have been allowed to reopen across all tiers.

With Reading being in Tier 2, this means that local residents can once again visit the gym and pool and take part in group exercises classes such as Aerobics, Spin and Yoga.

Paul Shearman, Partnership Manager for Better the charitable social enterprise that operates Rivermead Leisure Centre said:

“It is heartening to see that the Government has finally recognised that leisure centres are safe environments, with very low rates of Covid-19 transmission, as well as playing a crucial role in maintaining the physical and mental health of the nation.

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“We’re really looking forward to welcoming back our customers at the Hive and across Cambridgeshire on 2nd December and will continue to implement rigorous Covid-Secure operating protocols and social distancing as we did prior to Lockdown 2.0.”