Behind the Scenes: July ‘20
The fight against Covid-19 may be far from over but seeing shops reopen and visitors beginning to return to the town as lockdown restrictions ease is a good sign that we’re headed in the right direction. The past few weeks have been similarly busy at Atlantis as we make the necessary adjustments and preparations to allow us to reopen safely when allowed to do so. Read on to find out what we’ve been up to:
Wet-side Changing – ‘changes in the changing‘
As you may know, we’ve been working hard over the past couple of years to put in place a plan for how to refresh our wet-side changing rooms. It’s a big and expensive job for Atlantis so it’s important we get it right. One benefit of the Centre being closed is that the changing rooms have had a chance to properly dry out - this has allowed us to carry out some small works that were urgently needed. We’ve replaced some of the wet-wall covering around the shower areas and renewed the shower units themselves – there’s even a new cold shower for the sauna. There is a long way to go but after so much planning it’s great to see a small part of this project underway.
Gym – ‘working out how to work out‘
Atlantis’ gym remains closed for now but we’ve been busy getting as much in place ready for reopening. The biggest change is that we’ve moved all the gym equipment into the main Sports Hall. This means that each station enjoys over 2m social distancing from the next. Our priority is making sure Atlantis is a safe place to welcome you back to – finding the best configuration for the gym is a really important aspect of this. The gym will reopen when and how the government advises us it is safe to do so.
Tennis – ‘serving up a bit of familiarity‘
We’ve loved having Oban’s tennis players taking advantage of the reopened courts at Atlantis. As the government has continued to ease restrictions, we’ve been reflecting that by updating the guidance for tennis. Doubles can now be played between players of different households with social distancing being observed. We’ve also reopened the toilet facilities for the use of tennis players and playpark users.
Gregor Brydon continues to offer coaching. He’s being helped by a new ball machine that can automatically deliver a variety of shots to help with training, coaching and practice.
New Website – ‘a new home for Atlantis online‘
Atlantis has a new website! – we’ve been working in the background to update our online presence, modernising the look and feel of it as well as making it easier to use. The website will continue to change in the coming weeks as more activities are reopened, check it out at: atlantisleisure.co.uk.
Wee Walk – ‘Wee Walk Oban Makes a Big Step Online‘
Last time we told you about Wee Walk Oban’s plans to bring together an online resource to help Oban’s walkers find information about getting out and about around the town. This month, Wee Walk launched their website! There’s lots of useful pieces of information on there already, check it out at: http://www.obanwalks.org.uk
Centre Life – ‘a welcome new reception‘
As lockdown restrictions have continued to ease, we’ve been busy making some necessary changes to the Centre. One of the biggest changes you’ll notice is a brand new reception. There’s still some work to do but we’ve reconfigured the welcome desk to give the whole area more room which will make using it easier for staff and customers alike. We’ve also taken the opportunity to install the various screens and sanitary equipment that will help ensure we can keep everybody safe once we reopen.
The Future at Atlantis - ‘what’s next?’
It’s been a difficult time for many organisations across the country this past few months and Atlantis has had to think very creatively about how to get through lockdown and how we operate once we reopen. Throughout lockdown the Board have been working behind the scenes to review all of Atlantis’ activities and think carefully about what changes need to be made. There’s been a lot to work out with more still to be done as the government continues to update advice and guidance.
Atlantis’ foundations have always been rooted in community. It’s important that we build a route-map towards reopening together. There will be lots of changes to come and we’ll keep you updated along the way – thank you for your ongoing support and patience.