Five activities to try at the council’s leisure centres

We may only be on the second step of the roadmap out of lockdown but there are already plenty of activities to do at Chelmsford City Council’s four leisure centres.

If you’re fed up with road running or you can’t face your exercise bike, here are some other things you can do over the next month to get the endorphins flowing.

Work out at the gym

The big one for most of us – a workout at the gym for the first time this year. All four centres have gyms; the biggest is at Riverside in the city centre with a wide range of equipment and weights to use, but don’t forget facilities at Chelmsford Sport and Athletics Centre in Melbourne, South Woodham Ferrers Leisure Centre and Dovedale in Old Moulsham.

All sessions must be booked in advance on the Chelmsford City Sports website or the City Sports app, but there’s plenty of times available for to use all your favourite equipment and get back into the routines you’ve missed at home.

Swimming sessions

The pools at Riverside Leisure Centre and South Woodham Ferrers are open again for swimming. At Riverside there’s two types of public sessions in the 25-metre pool: lane swimming sessions or family fun sessions for groups of up to six people. The flume will be open for these family sessions and the learner pool can also be booked for up to two family groups at a time.

Lane swimming is also available at South Woodham Ferrers as well as family sessions for up to groups of six. There are four shallow areas in the SWF pool which are suitable for babies and learners and two deep areas for groups of competent swimmers.

Indoor sports

There are sports halls in every leisure centre, so if activities like badminton or table tennis are your thing and you have someone from your household to play with, you’ll be able to make a booking right now.

Over-18s can only exercise indoors with a family member until 17 May at the earliest, but under-18s are allowed to take part in clubs, coached sessions and even tournaments.

Outdoor sports

If you’re over 18, there are more options outside if you’d like to exercise with others. Tennis and football can both be played by adults in the multi-use games area at South Woodham Ferrers Leisure Centre.

At Chelmsford Sport and Athletics Centre, individuals or people from the same household group can book athletics sessions at the all-weather track and field event practice areas. Visit the CSAC website for details on what’s possible between now and May 17.

Squash at Dovedale

We’ve given squash its own category because although it’s a bit marmite for some, we know how devoted many of you are to this gladiatorial game. If you’re happy enough to play with someone from your bubble, then head over to the bookings page to get your court at Dovedale.

Remember to bring your own squash racket, balls and any other equipment you might need and please come dressed ready for your session.

There’s plenty more to choose from, so if you can’t find your sport of choice listed here, check out the City Sports website – there aren’t too many activities that aren’t running at Chelmsford Council leisure centres.