July Phase 2 Update – Open for Business
Now more than a month since we tentatively reopened for business, we have been overwhelmed with the interest in getting on and in the water. It has been a real joy to see the happiness it has brought out in so many people to get back out doing the activities that are so important to their physical and mental health.
To quote one Pinkston regular “I feel like a kid at Christmas”
We are still very much limiting the numbers on the water in order to ensure that social distancing is possible. We want to maintain this in a relaxed manner that suits the way we enjoy our sport. However, we have seen a very strong upturn in interest for all kinds of activities. We are doing what we can to meet this while always operating under the current guidance. We remain grateful for the ongoing support of our core paddling community and are looking forward to welcoming those of you back we haven’t yet seen. We are safeguarding the regular time-slots for clubs and community organisations who aren’t yet able to restart activity. These will be there for you when you are ready to get back to regular activities. However, we may need a bit of notice as these times will be released for other activities at relatively short notice (potentially up to 2 week) if it appears unlikely that they will be taken up. This is only a short term measure until we can make the “new normal” look a bit more like the “old normal”
Bookings
We have been open for:
- Swimming
- Flat Water Park and Play
- Limited kayak, SUP, and canoe coached sessions
- Rescue Services
- Club bookings from those able to operate within the 3 household/5 miles limit (5 mile limit no longer applicable)
- From 3rd July we have also seen a return of rafting
We are accepting bookings from anyone who is able to operate under the current guidance, subject to some additional conversations and criteria to ensure that Pinkston remains a safe venue for all. The skedda booking system has been disabled for all users, although you will still be able to view your bookings. Please contact [email protected] to make a booking.
We will want to know how many people will be attending and will require a copy of your Covid-19 risk assessment. This is so that we are able to balance the requirements of all groups.
Please see our Covid-19 risk assessment for details of how we are currently working, although please bear in mind that this is a dynamic situation and we remain responsive to changes as they occur.
Swimming
Pinkston opening for swimming has been a lifeline to many as pools remain closed, and swimmers have been a lifeline to Pinkston. They have offered an income stream at a time when things were looking extremely challenging for our sustainability and future. We have thoroughly enjoyed the relationships we have been building over this time and are committed to supporting the swimming community as best as we can. This income stream complements generous support from the Andy Jackson Fund, Monklands Canoe Club, Edinburgh Kayak Club, and so very many many others which sees us being able to look positively towards the future.
We feel so very privileged to welcome so may new people into our existing community of outdoor sports enthusiasts who hold Pinkston dear. We are also conscious that this presents a further increase to the diversity of activity onsite and will do everything we can to balance the differing needs of our ever expanding user group.
Toilets and Changing
Toilets and Changing have been closed in line with previous guidance, although we are now working to a reopening of the toilets by this weekend. This has been slightly slower than we would like due to balancing the additional cleaning requirements and limited staff while we are operating well beyond current capacity.
Financial procedures
We have during lockdown reviewed many of our procedures, and decided that it is time to tighten up on our credit agreements. If you would like to be invoiced in arrears for your sessions then please get in touch to request a credit agreement. Otherwise we will require payment upfront for sessions booked. Existing cancellation terms will continue to apply (> 2 weeks = full credit, 1-2 weeks = 50% credit, <1 week no refund given). We will contact regular users about this as bookings return to the calendar.
Staffing
You will see some new faces at Pinkston who have hit the ground running. Katie, Jamie, and Grant have joined Hannah and Errin to help meet increasing demands. Caretaker Jamie returned from furlough this week and has started to get us all back into shape and the centre back up to scratch. Helen continues to work hard behind the scenes keeping us right with the finances. Due to health and new baby respectively it will be a while before Fraser and Mhairi are able to rejoin us, but both are doing well and no doubt looking forward to seeing everyone when they can.
Feedback
As this has been a time of learning for us all, we continue to welcome feedback from all users about anything that needs addressed. Please get in touch – [email protected].
By Pinkston