A Happier Healthier You

Website Terms of Use

Booking policy

On payment of the sum printed in this schedule by the Hirer, the Council will let to the Hirer the premises specified in this schedule (hereinafter called ‘the hired premises’) for the period mentioned.

The hirer shall not use the hired premises for any purpose other than that described in this schedule.

The hirer shall take good care not to cause or permit to be caused any damage to the Centre or to any fittings, equipment or other property within and shall pay the Council the amount certified by the Council for any damage thereto (including accidental damage) caused by any act of neglect by himself or any other persons resorting to the Centre by reason of the use of the hired premises by the hirer.

The hirer shall indemnify the Council against all claims actions proceedings in respect of loss or damage to goods or death or injury to persons in the hired premises or entering or leaving the same in connection with the purposes for which the hired premises are hired and occurring or arising during the hire the hired premises are being used or being prepared for hire by the hirer PROVIDED THAT ALWAYS this indemnity shall not extend to any loss or damage or injury caused by the negligent act or default of the Council, its servants or agents.

The hirer undertakes at his own cost strictly to observe and perform:

a) All relevant statutory provisions and regulations
b) The provisions of this agreement
c) All instructions given to him by the Council or their representative under or in pursuance of the terms of this agreement

Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing the Hirer shall strictly observe subject to statutory amendments the conditions of any license granted in respect of the hired premises.

The right of entry to the hired premises is reserved at all times to the Council or their representative, servant, agent and any police officer or fire officer on duty during the hiring.

No additional lights or extension to the existing electrical fittings or electrical supply shall be used without the previous consent of the Council.

No bolts, nails, screws or pins or any other like objects shall be driven into any part of the hired premises nor shall any other placards or other articles be affixed thereto.

No intoxicating liquor is to be brought onto the hired premises

If the hiring is of the swimming pool, the hirer shall either:

a) Provide such poolside attendants as the Council may specify who must either hold the Council’s approved pool safety certificate or a recognised life saving qualification or
b) Pay the Council an additional fee to cover the cost of the Council providing the necessary poolside supervision

The Council reserve the right by notice to the hirer to terminate any hiring without giving reason for such refusal or cancellation and the Council shall not as a result of the exercise of this right incur any liability for breach of contract. Any fees paid in such circumstances will be refunded but the Council will not be held liable for any other expenses incurred by the hirer either directly or indirectly arising from any such cancellation.

The hirer may surrender the hiring provided that written notice or surrender of the hiring is delivered to the Council. The Council may, at its discretion, vary the sum payable to the Council under the terms of the agreement upon consideration of the following:

a) If on the date on which the hired premises were to have been used by the hirer the hired premises are not used for a function either by the Council or otherwise, the total charges payable by the hirer under this agreement shall be paid to the Council
b) If on the date when the hired premises were to have been used by the hirer they are actually used for a function by the Council or otherwise the total charges payable by the hirer under this agreement may be reduced to such an amount as the Council may determine
c) The decision of the Council under sub clause (a) and (b) of this clause shall be final and binding on the hirer

The Council, through the management and delegated staff, reserve the right to alter charges, availability of facilities and to cancel bookings giving due and appropriate notice.

The hirer must complete a Get Active Application form and be added to the membership database as a registered user. The hirer will then become the person responsible for the booking and any payments due, it also the hirer’s responsibility to notify us of any changes to the booking. Payment must be made for a booked facility even if it is not used unless cancelled in advance, as set out below.

Special Event bookings require a minimum non-refundable deposit, which will be agreed with the Management and payable on acceptance of the booking. The balance of the booking fee must be paid in full no less than seven days in advance of the hire. Failure to do so means that the Council may cancel the booking and the hirer shall remain liable to pay the booking fee.

All weekly block bookings must be paid not less than seven days in advance of each hire. Failure to do so means that the Council will cancel the booking and the hirer shall remain liable to pay any outstanding booking fees.

Casual bookings can be made at the centre reception or via telephone, up to a maximum of seven days in advance. Bookings cannot be held on a provisional basis and will only be confirmed once payment has been received by the centre. In addition, fitness class and squash court bookings can be made online.

Cash, cheque (n.b. minimum cheque payment is £10.00 and you must have a current cheque card) or credit and debit card payments can be made at reception, alternatively credit/debit card payments may be made over the telephone.

If you fail to attend any booking you will remain liable for the hire fee.

Cancellations for Special Events must be made in writing and you must give at least seven days notice. Failure to do so means that the Council may cancel the booking and the hirer will remain liable to pay the hire fee.

Request to cancel block booking contracts must be submitted in writing to the centre manager three weeks in advance of your final session. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in additional charges being incurred. Requests to cancel single/specific block booking sessions should be made in writing to the centre manager, sufficiently in advance (minimum of seven days), to enable the session to be offered for resale. Your booking fee can only be re-credited if the specific session can be resold.

In the event that you wish to cancel a casual booking the centre will seek to resell the booking on your behalf. If sold your booking will be transferred to an agreed alternative date/time within the seven day period of the cancelled booking.

Reception are not able to issue refunds for bookings, any requests for refunds must be submitted in writing for the attention of the Centre Manager.

Active Knowsley Website Terms and Conditions

In respect of online class bookings the following terms and conditions shall apply in addition –

  • The online booking facility can be viewed by anyone. However, to utilize the online service, you must have your details stored on our database and be in possession of a ‘Get Active Card’.
  • You are required to register online in order to book available activities and classes. You are responsible for maintaining the security of your username and password. If you provide your login credentials to a third party, your use of the site will be suspended or terminated. You must contact a member of the Management team immediately if you suspect unauthorised use of your account.
  • Active Knowsley may contact you via email regarding your use of the site.

 

Centre rules

To ensure that all customers enjoy their experience with Active Knowsley, please observe the following rules:

  • Do not park in disabled parking areas unless you have the appropriate blue badge
  • Vehicles parked at any Active Leisure Centre are done so at the customers risk
  • Access to centres will not be permitted unless a valid ‘Get Active Card’ is produced at reception
  • Your photo will be taken when you are issued with your Get Active card as part of our admissions policy
  • Our centres are a family environment – swearing is not permitted
  • Appropriate clothing to suit the activity must be worn
  • Smoking is not permitted in any Active Leisure Centre
  • The use of cameras or mobile telephones with camera technology is not permitted in any Active Leisure site without authorisation from the Duty Manager
  • Any person found to be causing deliberate damage to facilities or equipment will be banned from the use of any Active Leisure Centre
  • Any person found to be deliberately accessing facilities without making the appropriate payment will be banned from the use of any Active Leisure Centre
  • Property left within any Active Leisure Centre is done so at the customers own risk
  • If you are receiving any medication or treatment for a heart condition, epilepsy or other condition that could impact on your health and wellbeing, please inform a member of staff prior to commencing your activity
  • Please dispose of all litter including cigarettes and chewing gum in the bins provided
  • All equipment hired to customers by the centre must be returned in good condition otherwise any deposit will be with held by the centre
  • Abusive and aggressive behaviour towards staff will not be tolerated, and appropriate action will be taken
  • Let us know if something does not meet your expectations

 

Cookie policy

What are cookies?

Cookies are files containing small amounts of text-only information which are downloaded to your device (your computer, tablet or phone, for example) via your web browser when you visit a website.

Cookies perform lots of different tasks, like allowing you to complete online forms and remembering the browsing preferences you set on a website.

All cookies used on this website are considered ‘privacy neutral’: they cannot be used to identify individuals, and the information they contain is never passed on to third parties. Knowsley Council does not use cookies for marketing or advertising purposes.

The cookies used on this site have been categorised based on definitions given in the ICC UK Cookie Guide as ‘strictly necessary cookies’, ‘performance cookies’ and ‘functionality cookies’.

Strictly necessary cookies

Strictly necessary cookies are essential in helping you to navigate the site effectively, and enable services such as online bookings, payments for services and forms you can complete online. These cookies are only used when you request a specific service.

Performance cookies

Performance cookies allow us to analyse how much ‘traffic’ (how many visitors) our site receives. Like many websites, Knowsley Council use a service called Google Analytics to allow us to study data about site use. Google analytics provides us with anonymous, aggregated statistics that help us to understand how visitors use our site, enabling us to improve the structure of the website and constantly improve the services we offer. The software does not allow us to identify individual visitors.

Google is developing a tool to enable users to ‘opt out’ of Google Analytics.

By using volair.org.uk you agree that we can place performance cookies on your device.

Functionality cookies

Functionality cookies allow us to provide user-friendly assistive functions on the site, for example allowing you to alter text size and customise page layout to suit your needs.

By using volair.org.uk you agree that we can place functionality cookies on your device.

Cookies from third party sites

In order to provide effective online services, Knowsley Council makes use of popular tools such as Flickr for sharing photos, Youtube for sharing video and Twitter and Facebook for keeping in touch.

These sites they may also place cookies on your computer. For more information please see each website’s own privacy policy (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr).

Further information about cookies

There’s a lot of good information about cookies available online. For more information visit BBC Webwise or All About Cookies.

You can find out more about how your web browser works by visiting the appropriate link below, or by looking under the ‘help’ menu option in your browser.

  • Internet Explorer
  • Firefox
  • Google Chrome
  • Apple Safari
  • Opera

Get in touch

If you have any questions about how we use cookies or analytics to develop the Knowsley Council website please get in touch. Contact us by emailing corporatewebteam@knowsley.gov.uk.

Memberships and passes

Access is dependent upon programme and availability. Management reserve the right to make amendments to programmes and access as required.

Swimming and wet areas

1. Admissions Policy:

  • Children Under 8 years old must be accompanied by a responsible adult at least 16 years of age
  • Children aged between 5 and 8: One adult may accompany up to two children between 5 & 8 years old
  • Children under 5 years old: One adult may accompany one child under 5 years old

2. Please shower before you swim – this helps to keep the pool water clean and means we can reduce the amount of chemical disinfectant in the pool

3. Babies must wear an appropriate swim nappy

4. No glass to be taken into the wet areas

5. The use of snorkelling equipment or swimming pool toys not issued by the centre is not permitted

6. No shaving in any wet areas including showers, steam, and sauna

7. Costumes must be worn at all times whilst within Seam and Sauna areas and in public showering areas

Spa restrictions

Health & Fitness

  1. An Active Fitness induction must be completed prior to using the fitness suites
  2. Personalised programmes are available to help you to meet your objectives
  3. Do not drop free weights / equipment etc in the fitness suites
  4. Carry a towel with you in the gym and wipe down equipment after use
  5. Return gym equipment to its rightful place when finished to maintain a tidy and safe area for all
  6. No bags to be taken into the gym or class areas
  7. No entry to classes once it has started for Health & Safety reasons
  8. All classes must be booked at reception and a ticket must be provided before entry is permitted

General Activity Areas

  1. No spitting in squash courts and activity areas
  2. Booking time is for 55 minutes to allow for set up
  3. Only approved 5 a side balls to be used indoors
  4. Only shoes with non marking soles to be worn
  5. No shaving in any wet areas including showers, steam, and sauna

Squash and badminton courts

Squash and badminton courts from opening to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday and all weekend.

Velodrome requirements and terms and conditions

Equipment

Only track bikes can be used on the velodrome. Track bikes have no brakes or gears and have a fixed wheel. As well as being in a safe, well maintained and working order, your track bike must have:

  • A fixed wheel drive train
  • A frame with a bottom bracket height of at least 265mm from ground to centre when using 165mm cranks (proportionately more if using longer cranks)
  • Brazed on or other protruding fittings padded and taped over to avoid injury
  • No brakes or extraneous parts (this includes the entire brake assembly, bottle cages, lights and brackets etc)
  • Drop handlebars
  • Handlebars fitted with bar-ends and bar tape
  • Tyres in good condition and pumped up hard
  • Pedals that provide adequate foot retention (clips and straps, or clipless pedals set to a high tension)
  • Nutted-type wheel axles – no quick release skewers
  • Gearing between 82” and 88” for novice riders (86” is ideal for adult riders). A slightly higher gear of between 88” to 90” is generally preferred for racing.

If your bike does not meet this specification, your session will be terminated.

Safety

Your safety equipment must meet these basic requirements:

  • Helmets: compulsory at all times and must meet BS EN 1078:1997 standards approval. If your helmet has a peak fitted it must be removed
  • No other fixings to helmets are allowed, including lights, cameras and mascots.
  • Track mitts must be worn to reduce injury on any contact or impact.
  • Shoe cleats should be in a good clean, serviceable condition.
  • Riders should wear two layers of clothing above the waist. This helps to prevent injury if you crash.

Other considerations:

  • Ensure shoe laces an trousers are tucked in so they cannot become entangled with the chain
  • Remove any baggy clothing
  • Padded cycling / track mitts are often more comfortable
  • Padded cycling shorts are often welcomed by novice riders

Terms and conditions

  • A Get Active Card is required to use the facility and to be able to book your sessions
  • Velodrome track taster, coaching and accreditation stages need to be booked in advance
  • Velodrome open access sessions will be for riders who have completed the necessary accreditation programme and have gained a suitable level of experience. A British Cycling coach will be present and these taster sessions will give you a basic introduction to the sport, and involve the very basics of track riding. After completing this stage you can choose to continue to follow the accreditation stages.

Accreditation

Induction / accreditation procedures will need to be completed prior to use of the velodrome track to ensure you are aware of the safety issues, basic rider guidance and competency.

Track racing carries an element of risk. The most significant risk factor is rider error, especially considering the technical nature of track riding and the speed that riders can attain. This risk can be reduced significantly by a thorough induction and accreditation process involving skills instruction, practice and repetition overseen by a competent coach.

Track bikes are different to road bikes and do require familiarisation and different riding techniques.

Accreditation also provides “peace of mind” knowing that the rider alongside you has had appropriate instruction so both of you can be fast and safe!

After gaining accreditation you will be issued with a Get Active Track Licence to demonstrate your competency, which will allow you to participate in more structured sessions and racing events, including the track league and other competitive events.

Accreditation will not be required for sessions that are organised by British Cycling affiliated clubs.

Training is provided in four stages. Each stage takes approximately one to two hours to complete, depending upon the experience and ability of the rider. Some sessions may be duplicated until the required competency is achieved.

  • Stage 1: Taster session
  • Stage 2: Taster Improver
  • Stage 3: Skills
  • Stage 4: Assessment
  • Each stage is charged at £5.00 per session.

Experienced riders:

If you have a valid existing track licence (from another facility) and your own track bike you will need to attend a competency assessment to demonstrate you meet the required skill level. You will then be able to access open sessions without the need for the full accreditation programme.

If at any time during riding your competency level raises concerns, we reserve the right to request you attend further competency assessment sessions.

BMX track requirements and terms and conditions

Equipment

  • BMX bikes and mountain bikes can be used. If using a mountain bike, the saddle must be lowered.
  • Bikes must be in a safe condition and have a working rear brake assembly as a minimum.
  • No stunt pegs are allowed.
  • Bike hire will be available from October.
  • Water bottles and bottle cages should not be used on the track.

If a bike is deemed unsafe or does not meet these criteria, your session will be terminated.

Safety

Appropriate safety equipment must be worn whilst using the track. All riders must wear:

  • Full face helmet
  • Gloves
  • Long trousers/jeans (made from a tear resistant material. If wearing shorts or three-quarter length trousers, knee pads must be worn.)
  • Long sleeve top (if wearing short sleeves elbow pads must be worn).
  • Rubber soled trainers

Other recommendations:

  • It is advisable to wear elbow and knee pads at all times
  • Wrist guards are recommended
  • Avoid wearing baggy clothing that could become entangled in the chain
  • Tuck in shoelaces

Safety equipment will be available to hire from the end of October.

Terms and conditions

A Get Active Card is required to use the facility and to be able to book your sessions The BMX track is only to be ridden by competent cyclists. It is recommended that you attend a coaching/ taster session (booked in advance) prior to attending any open sessions. If you do attend an open session and you do not display basic cycling skills, you will be asked to leave the track for safety purposes. You will need to complete a disclaimer form prior to riding the track.

Booking in advance is highly recommended.

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