‘Unsustainable’ Worthing gym dropped by South Downs Leisure for FIT4 programme

Splashpoint Leisure Centre, Worthing Leisure Centre and Davison Leisure Centre remain in the programme but Worthing College Fitness Centre will cease to be open as a South Downs Leisure site after Thursday, November 28, 2019.

The decision applies to both the gym and classes run at Worthing College.

In a letter to members, chief executive Duncan Anderson said the offering there had become ‘unsustainable’.

“As a charity, South Downs Leisure invest everything we earn back into providing opportunities to promote everyone’s health and wellbeing through the provision of our sports and recreation facilities,” he said.

“We therefore have a responsibility to ensure that all our centres are working hard to meet the needs of our members, as well as other users.

“Unfortunately, this means that sometimes when facilities are not as busy as we would like them to be or are not up to the standards we would expect, we have to review their long-term viability.

“Our facilities at Worthing College Fitness Centre are in need of significant investment and with the low levels of usage, have become unsustainable. Regrettably we have therefore decided to cease offering Worthing College Fitness Centre as part of our FIT4 programme of facilities.

“Rest assured that the decision to move away from Worthing College is not a decision we’ve taken lightly and is in no way due to the recent merger of Worthing College and Chichester College, but instead we have chosen to focus on other developments to add value to your membership, as an example, we are looking at new initiatives such as Bungee Fitness and Antigravity Yoga as future potential offerings, and we are launching a number of virtual cycling classes in our immersive cycling studio in January 2020.”

Mr Anderson said there had been recent enhancements to the programme at Worthing Leisure Centre, including the exclusive pole fitness studio and the new immersive cycling studio.

South Downs Leisure will create a new timetable which will incorporate as much of the Worthing College class programme as possible across its other sites, or suitable alternatives.

Staff or students who are already a FIT4 member on the discounted Worthing College rate will be able to continue on this rate until they cancel or terminate their membership. Students or staff who wish to sign up from December 1, 2019, will be eligible for the corporate or student membership rate of £39.95 per month.