w armaghbanbridgecraigavon.gov.uk f armaghbanbridgecraigavon t /abcb_council

ALL STAFFMEMO

Dear Colleague,

It’s hard to believe that today marks the last day of July, in what has certainly been a very eventful year so far for us as an organisation, and for each of us as individuals. With this in mind it is important that staff use the summer months to take annual leave, to recharge and get a break.

There are lots of things to look forward to throughout the organisation, with services continuing to get back up and running on an almost weekly basis, facilities reopening, and staff increasingly returning to the office environment. In general there is a good sense that a new form of normality is returning, and staff are to be commended for endeavouring to make this possible.

14 weeks and counting - South Lake Leisure Centre opening date announced

Issue 23Date: 31.07.20

Our flagship public leisure facility South Lake Leisure Centre (SLLC) will open to the public on 2nd November 2020. This is a significant announcement for everyone involved in the project, as this project represented the largest capital investment to date undertaken by Council. This highly anticipated, multi-million pound, multi-purpose sports and leisure complex will be a major boost to the leisure, health and wellbeing provision for the people of our region.

This stunning new leisure facility will welcome visitors from across the borough, and beyond, to its new 50-metre pool, a young children’s indoor leisure water feature, a 1,000m2 state-of-the-art gym, multiple studios, health & wellbeing suite, sensory room, eight-court sports halls, spin studio, soft play area, and an on-site café. It also incorporates an outdoor water sports provision offering a wide range of water based activities including windsurfing, water skiing and paddle sports. The venue will provide a competitive range of flexible membership and customer schemes allowing easy and affordable access on a one-off or longer term basis, so that everyone can enjoy the new facility in a way that suits their lifestyle and budget.

It’s exciting times ahead for the organisation, and staff, as this long-awaited facility prepares to open! Best wishes to all the staff involved who will undoubtedly be very busy in the build up to the opening!

For questions, queries or updates please email sllc@armaghbanbridgecraigavon.gov.uk

w armaghbanbridgecraigavon.gov.uk f armaghbanbridgecraigavon t /abcb_council

ALL STAFFMEMO

Leisure centres UpdateAs part of the preparations to pave the way for the official opening of South Lake Leisure Centre, interim arrangements have also been agreed for nearby leisure facilities in Cascade Leisure Complex and Craigavon Leisure Centre.

• Cascades Leisure Complex will remain open on Saturdays only, until Saturday 10 October 2020, for public lane swimming for over 16s.

• Craigavon Leisure Centre will remain open to the public for access to the gym only until Monday 12th October.

• Waves Leisure Complex will be closed to the public. When all these facilities close, leisure staff will begin their training in the new South Lake Leisure Centre building.

Council swimming pools to begin reopening from Friday 7 AugustA number of swimming pools at Council facilities across the borough will begin a phased reopening, with restricted public swimming times, from Friday 7th August. The swimming pools initially reopening are Banbridge Leisure Centre, Cascades Leisure Complex and Orchard Leisure Centre. For the initial reopening phase, lane swimming only will be available for those aged 16 and over. Recreational swimming, including family swimming sessions, will not be available during this time until further notice. Timetables will vary across each location and users are advised to visit getactiveabc.com/book for up to date information and details on how to book sessions.

Swim sessions are being offered at a reduced cost of £2.35 per session for the month of August and booking is available from today. Due to Covid-19, the user experience will be slightly different, incorporating new safety measures to provide safe, but friendly, leisure environments for everyone to enjoy. Find out more about the new health and safety rules on the Get Active ABC website.

w armaghbanbridgecraigavon.gov.uk f armaghbanbridgecraigavon t /abcb_council

ALL STAFFMEMO

Staff use of gym/exercise classes and swimmingStaff members (permanent and temporary, excluding casuals) can avail of free gym and swimming (during public swim times) in the Armagh, Banbridge or Craigavon area. Staff who pay a £10.00 a month direct debit - to ensure that they can book exercise classes in advance - must pay £2.50 a class until the end of July. Throughout August, exercise classes are free to these staff members to compensate for time lost due to the Covid-19 situation.

In the past, staff have been able to take part in an exercise class free of charge if there was a space available. This is now being suspended and will be reviewed as the Covid-19 situation changes.

For questions or queries, please email gary.major@armaghbanbridgecraigavon.gov.uk

Data protection for remote workingMany staff are still working from home due to the pandemic. It is therefore essential all employees are mindful of data protection and implement the same security measures for homeworking that would be used in normal circumstances. ‘Covid-19 - what you need to know about data protection’ is an excellent tool which has been developed by the data protection team to help guide staff on what they need to do to comply with data protection law. You can access the information here. You can also email dataprotection@armaghbanbridgecraigavon.gov.uk with any queries or questions you may have.

New appointment to Head of Finance, ICT & ProcurementAs staff will be aware, a recruitment process was commenced earlier in the year to fill the vacant Head of Finance, ICT and Procurement post. We are pleased to confirm that a successful candidate has been appointed, and Dominic Donnelly will commence in August. Dominic comes to our council with a wealth of experience from his current position of Finance and Investment Manager with Belfast City Council along with a raft of private sector experience. Dominic will work closely with Senior Management team, Members and Officers across the council to help ensure the council’s objectives are achieved.

w armaghbanbridgecraigavon.gov.uk f armaghbanbridgecraigavon t /abcb_council

ALL STAFFMEMO

COVID-19 UPDATEQ&A On Covid-19

If you have symptoms of coronavirus infection (however mild) do not leave your home for 10 days from when your symptoms started. This action will help protect others in your community while you are infectious.If you live with others and you or one of them have symptoms of coronavirus, then all other household members must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill.

Travel If you are returning from abroad, it is essential you follow the returning traveller advice on the NI Direct website before reporting for work https://bit.ly/2BFxTmJ

Due to the ever changing nature of the pandemic, this key advice and information is being reviewed and updated regularly (such as the current changes which have been made for travelling to and from Spain). If you are planning to travel abroad, it is crucial you follow the advice on the NI Direct website.

Who needs to self-isolate?1. Anyone with or who lives with someone who

has symptoms. Symptoms are:• a high temperature - this means you feel

hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)

• a new, continuous cough - this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)

• anosmia - the loss or a change in your normal sense of smell (it can also affect your sense of taste)

2. People who are waiting for a COVID-19 test result

3. People who have been identified as being a close contact of someone with coronavirus. If you have been identified as a close contact the PHA will be following up with you to provide you with advice and guidance - it is important that you follow this advice.

4. Returning travellers from higher risk areas even if they have no symptoms.

5. Returning travellers who have visited lower risk areas if they have symptoms.

If you have recently arrived back from specified areas, follow the returning traveller advice on the NI Direct website above.

If you are still concerned, please call the NHS 111 helpline for advice. If you become unwell, with related symptoms, and suspect you may have been exposed to COVID-19 (coronavirus) you should stay at home and phone your GP/NHS 111 for advice. Let your line manager know and they will inform HR. If you have been advised to self-isolate, again, let your line manager know and they will inform HR.

If for any reason you cannot reach your line manager, please contact Aisling Knipe aisling.knipe@ armaghbanbridgecraigavon.gov.uk