Fitness instructors and personal trainers that hold one-to-one sessions and group exercise classes in parks and green spaces are being reminded that they must have a licence from Chichester District Council.
The council has seen an increase in outdoor exercise classes taking place in its parks while gyms and other indoor venues remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Government’s current social distancing guidelines allow groups of up to six individuals to meet outdoors, provided they keep two metres apart from anyone outside of their household.
The council’s Sport and Leisure team issue licences to those wishing to use parks for personal training or group fitness sessions. This is to ensure public safety by checking that fitness operators hold appropriate qualifications and insurance as well protecting the parks and the public’s access to them.
“Our parks are fantastic spaces and we welcome fitness instructors and personal trainers to use them to hold their sessions, but we want to remind them that they must have a licence to do this,” says Councillor Roy Briscoe, Cabinet Member for Community Services and Culture at Chichester District Council.
“We also want to remind everyone using our parks that they must observe social distancing by keeping two metres apart from anyone they don’t live with and wash their hands as soon as they get home.”
Fitness instructors and personal trainers can apply for a licence to hold sessions with a maximum of five attendees in the following parks across the district:
- Oaklands Park
- New Park Road
- Sherborne Road
- Whyke Oval
- Priory Park
- Florence Park, and
- The Amphitheatre Park (behind the old Cattle Market).
People can apply for a licence by visiting www.chichester.gov.uk/outdoorfitnessclasses