Duncan Bannatyne writes to Bassetlaw MP over Worksop branch reopening

Entrepreneur Duncan Bannatyne says 70 per cent of the 3,000 members at the Worksop branch of his heath club chain want the gym to reopen.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

In a letter to Bassetlaw MP Brendan Clarke-Smith Mr Bannatyne wrote how the club set the ‘gold standard’ on safety - including electronic wristbands which track members’ movements on the premises.

The Government has not set a date for the reopening of indoor gyms - placing them in the ‘close proximity’ category along with nightclubs, soft play areas, swimming pools and spas.

Though they could open within the month - with the Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden writing on Twitter that facilities could open from ‘mid-July.’

Duncan Bannatyne Duncan Bannatyne
Duncan Bannatyne

However former Dragon’s Den panelist Mr Bannatyne says the Government is ‘taking decisions blind’.

The multi-millionaire wrote how ‘the size of our health clubs and our wristband technology are real differentiators and should be taken into consideration’.

Read More
Bassetlaw Hospital staff ‘overwhelmed’ by toddler George Bownes’ gift

Speaking about Worksop’s Manton Wood site Mr Bannatyne says it is much larger that most gyms - at around 20,000 sq ft and will enable social distancing at two metres.

Bannatyne's Health Club, WorksopBannatyne's Health Club, Worksop
Bannatyne's Health Club, Worksop

He added that member wristbands could support the government’s Track and Trace programme.

The wristbands provide a record of members’ movements around the health clubs - including when they enter and leave, which exercise classes they attend and which areas of the gym and equipment they use.

Responding to Mr Bannatyne’s letter Brendan said as an industry leader he believed Mr Bannatyne had made some excellent suggestions.

He said: “I share his ambition to see the facility in Worksop - which has created many local jobs - to re-open as soon as it is considered safe to do so.

“The Government has already been in discussions with groups such as UK Active regarding when gyms and leisure facilities can finally re-open - which will hopefully be in mid-July as the Culture Secretary has already suggested.

“I fully appreciate and realise the benefits to both physical and mental health that can be gained through regular exercise and I am sympathetic to the idea of reopening facilities in pursuit of these goals.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you

Nancy Fielder, editor