Terms of Centre Use

Facilities
A centre’s opening times are displayed at the centre, we may make reasonable changes to our opening times, and will display any changes on the centre’s information board.

You are entitled to use the facilities available with your membership. If you are a guest, you will be entitled to use the facilities that are generally available to all members and guests.

Each facility may have different opening times. For example, the pool may close a while before the centre closes to give members enough time to shower and change.

At times the centre may withdraw all or some of its facilities to carry out cleaning, repairs, alterations or improvements, for staff training and meetings, for maintenance or security work, or for reasons that are beyond our or the centre’s control. We will tell you about this using the centre’s information board.

Facilities are available on a ‘first come, first served’ basis and we are not responsible if any equipment, facility or service is not available because another member is using it or the maximum number of people allowed (for example, in the pool or an exercise class) has been reached.

You must keep to the rules and regulations that apply at the centre you are using. We may make reasonable changes to the rules and regulations that apply at each centre, but we will tell you about these changes.

If you are not sure how to use any of our facilities, ask a member of the team at the centre.

Bookings
Members (but not guests) may be able to book certain activities at certain centre, depending on the rules of that centre. Please ask the centre for details.

When you book and pay for any personal training sessions, we cannot guarantee that a particular personal trainer will be available. We will not refund payments you have made for any personal training sessions you have not taken when a personal trainer was available.

We do not pay refunds on block bookings (in other words, when you have paid beforehand for a number of sessions or courses). Class Bookings
Members can book on the app or website for any class. To make our booking system as fair as possible, we operate a three-strike rule for all members. This means that if you fail to attend booked classes on 3 occasions within a month, we will revoke your booking rights for 7 days. We don’t want to block anyone from enjoying their favourite classes so make sure you swipe into your fitness and wellbeing centre on your arrival and cancel any which you can no longer attend.

Fitness Facilities
The following guidelines apply to make sure you use the gym and fitness facilities safely.

Before you start using the gym or fitness facilities, you must fill in an exercise questionnaire. We recommend that you also have a supervised induction session with one of our qualified wellbeing advisors. It is your responsibility to book this session and attend. If you don’t, you accept responsibility for any damage or injury you may suffer from using the fitness facilities incorrectly. If we have any concerns about your exercise questionnaire or any health assessment, we may not let you exercise.

You must tell the centre manager or qualified wellbeing advisor if there are any circumstances affecting your health that may be made worse by continuing to use the fitness facilities. You should keep this information up to date throughout your membership. When filling in any exercise questionnaire or taking part in a health assessment your answers must be honest, accurate and up to date. We cannot accept any liability for incorrect advice we may give as a result of answers that are false, inaccurate or out of date.

You should not use any item of gym equipment unless you are sure that you know how to use it safely. If you are not sure, ask for advice from a qualified wellbeing advisor.

We may refuse to let you take an exercise class if you arrive after the class has started.

If any health assessment or exercise questionnaire shows that you could be at an increased risk of illness or injury while exercising, we will advise you to get approval from your doctor before you continue to exercise. We do not accept any liability if you fail to follow our advice.

Squash courts and badminton courts
You must wear non-marking shoes (shoes that do not leave a mark on the floor) on the squash courts or badminton courts. For safety reasons, we recommend you wear eye protection while playing squash.

Swimming pool
You must shower, using the showers provided in the changing areas, before you get into the swimming pool.

You are only allowed to use balls, floats, armbands and other similar items in the areas, and at the times, the centre has set aside for this purpose.

Short Fins (up to 5cm) and snorkels can be worn by anyone when swim training within a swim lane. This equipment is useful for swim training and also for when someone has mobility issues or is recovering from an injury.

Fins and snorkels of any kind must not be worn within a family or non-swimming lane or by children in unstructured sessions.

There may be times when the swimming pool is reserved for adults only or for lessons, classes, children’s parties or other uses. At these times, your use of the swimming pool may be restricted. When this happens, we will try to display a notice on our swimming information board.

Guidance issued by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) recommends that in the pool, children are supervised by one parent or adult.

Children between 8 and 15-year-old must complete a N ‘Stars Swim test to be able to swim unaccompanied.

• Children between 0-7 should be supervised in the water. Supervision in the water is 2:1 child/adult ratio.
• Children between 8-15 years old can use the pool with their parents/guardians on poolside If competency test has not been passed.

At all times you must keep to our rules and guidelines for the pool displayed at the wellbeing centre.

For more rules and guidelines on using the swimming pool, please see the swimming information board and notices at the pool.

Saunas, steam rooms and spa baths (where available) users must be over the age of 16 years.

Members and guests who:

• have high or low blood pressure;
• have heart problems;
• have asthma; or
• are pregnant;

must not use the saunas, steam rooms or spa baths. You must consult your doctor before using these facilities.

You must shower, using the showers provided in the changing areas, before entering the sauna, steam rooms or spa baths.

For your own safety, you must not spend more than the recommended time in the sauna. The time limit is set out in the guidelines displayed outside the sauna.

When in the sauna, steam room or spa baths you must wear a swimming costume that is appropriate for being seen in public. You should refer to the centre’s rules and regulations for guidance on children using saunas, steam rooms or spa baths.

Lockers and lost property
We are not liable for any loss or damage to personal belongings at the centre unless the loss or damage is caused by our negligence. We recommend that you do not bring valuable items to the centre.

For security reasons, you must store personal belongings in the lockers provided.

We may remove items which are left overnight in lockers that are not hired. You can collect these belongings from the centre reception within one month of us removing them.

After this time, we will not be responsible for any of the contents we have removed from lockers.

General – putting your health and safety first
As your safety is our main priority, you are not allowed to bring crockery, glass or food into the fitness area, changing rooms, studios, courts or pool areas.

No pets, other than guide dogs, are allowed in any of our centres.

To protect all our members’ and guests’ safety, any person visiting or using the centre must pay particular attention to all notices and signs relating to health and safety. If you do not understand a notice or sign, please ask a member of staff at the centre.

Fire exits are clearly marked throughout the centre and you must not interfere with them. If the fire alarm goes off, you must leave the premises through the nearest safe exit and make your way to the assembly point outside.

You are not allowed to smoke or vape in any part of our centre.

While you are at the centre you must behave appropriately, respectfully and politely at all times. We can prevent you from entering the centre, or ask you to leave, if we think that your behaviour or appearance is not suitable.

You must dress appropriately depending on the place and time of day. For example, correct footwear in the gym and appropriate swimming costume in the pool area.

In the café-bar area you can only eat food we provide, unless we allow you to eat your own food for medical reasons. Your children’s health and safety
All children (those people under 13) must be accompanied and supervised by an adult at all times someone aged 18 or over. Children aged 13-16 must be linked to a parent’s membership in order to be able to use the facilities at the centre.

- If the adult member is a DPP/Gymflex/Gym Pass member, you can link a child or junior SM member to their membership as long as bank details are added to the adults account first for the direct debit. This will make the adult the prime payer with the child linked to their non-DD membership.

- If the child’s parents or guardians are a member of another Centre, then the child needs to be set up and the parent added as an external payer which means they are not linked to the adult as we cannot link across clubs. A CRM note will need to be added stating the parents name and membership number at the other centre.

While children under the age of 13 are using the childcare facilities or taking part in activities, a parent or adult carer must stay at the centre. Parents or adult carers who leave their children in the childcare facilities must collect them in person. We will only allow another person to collect the child if a specific arrangement has been made with the centre beforehand.

Parents of children aged 13-15 do not have to remain in the building. Family will be asked to agree to a behaviour contract and a behaviour management system will be in place to address any concerns with non-compliance which may result in access rights being removed.

In some centres, childcare facilities and activities are available for children aged between 12 weeks and four years. Details of childcare facilities are set by each centre and are available from them.

Parents or adult carers must fill in registration forms for all their children before using the childcare facilities or activities.

You must not bring children into the childcare facilities if they are suffering from any illness. We have the right to stop any child using childcare facilities or activities for any reason.

Children over 10 cannot enter the changing rooms or other areas reserved for the opposite sex at all times, whether or not they are with you. If the child is between 8-10 years old, they can use either changing room but if using the opposite sex changing room is up to GM’s discretion and the child must be under parental supervision.

Children aged 8-10 years old can use the gym/studios supervised by the gym team in scheduled junior classes only during specified junior times.

Children aged 11-12 years old can use the gym/studios supervised by a parent following an induction and program has been designed but no free weights can be used, during specified junior times.

Children aged 13-15 years old can use the gym/studios on their own once a gym induction and program has been designed but no free weights can be used, during specified junior times.

Children are allowed in the café areas unsupervised from the age of 8 years old. Junior Terms and Conditions outline that the centre is not responsible for the supervision of the child in this space.

Car parking
If parking is available at the centre, you must park your car in the marked parking spaces only. You must not block services roads. We do not guarantee that parking is always available at any of our centres.

We are not liable for any loss or damage to your car while it is parked at the centre unless the loss or damage is caused by our negligence. You can only park your car in the car park while you are at the centre.

Bike stands
All bikes and electric scooters must remain outside of the centre. There are areas outside which you can lock your bikes/ scooters. You are not allowed to bring them into the centre or take them in the changing room or store in a locker.

Our rights to cancel your membership
We may freeze your membership at any time (we will not charge you monthly membership fees while your membership is frozen) or cancel your membership without giving you notice, if:
You seriously or repeatedly break the conditions of your membership; or you allow another person to use your membership card to gain access to any of our centres (unless you have notified us in writing in advance that your membership card has been lost or stolen).
If you and/or any of your guests use offensive, abusive or discriminatory language or use or threaten violent, offensive or intimidating behaviour or conduct at any of our centres, or if your behaviour or conduct does or, in our reasonable opinion may, put our employees and/or other members and/or guests at risk.
You and/or any guest(s) do or attempt to provide, offer, engage in, advertise or promote, whether or not for payment or other reward, at any of our centres or other facilities any activities or services which do or may compete in any way with any activities or services provided, offered, engaged in, advertised or promoted by us or our authorised personnel, including but not limited to personal training or other training, coaching or instruction to any individual or group.