Nus Ghani, MP for Wealden, has raised the concerns of Wealden’s residents and businesses with the Minister at a Westminster Hall debate on the impact of Covid-19 restrictions on gyms and outdoor sports.
Following correspondence from many Wealden residents affected by the closure of sports venues, and meetings with the management of Wealden’s leisure centres, Nus brought individual cases to the Minister’s attention and advocated for the support and reopening of Wealden’s Covid-safe gyms and golf courses.
Nus has also highlighted the work of Wealden’s fantastic football clubs in Uckfield, Crowborough and Hailsham, and asked the Minister for further support of Wealden’s football clubs in light of the extreme hardships that they have endured due to lockdown.
The Minister confirmed that organised grassroots sport will be allowed to resume from 2 December when the national lockdown measures expire. The UK will then enter a tier system and gyms and leisure centres will be allowed to reopen in all tiers.
Nus Ghani said: “The importance of physical activity for the nation’s physical and mental wellbeing is more important now than ever and I welcome the Minister’s assurances to reopen indoor and outdoor sport on 2 December. Our leisure centres, outdoor sport venues and football clubs have suffered losses due to the lockdown and in low-risk areas like Wealden, people should be able to continue living their lives to the fullest. We need a long-term strategy that takes the impact of each restriction on the livelihoods and wellbeing of Wealden residents into account and I urged the Minister to ensure that every future restriction put into place is supported by strong evidence.”
A video of Nus’ full contribution can be viewed here. Further information can be accessed here.
