Eckington Active £182,000 fitness suite upgrade completes!

North East Derbyshire District council are proud to announce the completion of their £182,000 refurbishment of Eckington Active’s fitness suite.

Following its 2 week closure, the décor and flooring of the fitness suite have been refreshed and new equipment installed, with the gym back open for Just Do More members.

Members will be able to use all new Pulse Fitness equipment with an expanded free weight area, along with the addition of a functional area with an Indigo Fitness rig and Keiser UK bikes.

Councillor Kathy Rouse, cabinet member for Leisure Services said, ‘It’s our commitment to continue to invest in our Leisure Centres so they can be enjoyed by our local communities for years to come. The latest beneficiary of that commitment, Eckington Active now boasts brand new equipment and a refreshed look in the fitness centre, giving our Just Do More members more value than ever.’

From just £23 per month you can join as a member and enjoy Eckington Active’s new equipment. Your membership will be valid at the recently refurbished gym at Dronfield Active, the recently refurbished centre of Killamarsh Active and when completed Clay Cross Active.

You can find out more about our leisure centres and our membership options on our new dedicated Leisure website: https://www.justdomore.co.uk.


Pool closures Dronfield

The swimming pools at Dronfield Active will be undergoing a £175k makeover shortly, meaning some facilities will be out of action while the improvements take place.

The swimming pools will be closed from Monday 25 November 2024 to Sunday 5 January 2025 inclusive, while work takes place to re-line the pool, fit new energy-saving pool covers and triple glazed windows and decorate the poolside and changing rooms.

Remedial works will also be taking place behind the scenes in the plant room, including installing a new energy and a cost-saving variable speed filtration system, to keep operations running smoothly.

Meanwhile, our sports halls will also be having a facelift, with work taking place during the centre’s Christmas closedown to chemically clean and re-seal the floors.

North East Derbyshire District Council Cabinet Member for Leisure, Cllr Kathy Rouse said: “We recently carried out upgrades to the fitness suites at both Dronfield Active and Eckington Active and these latest works are just another way of improving facilities for the benefit of our customers.

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused while these essential maintenance works take place, but once done, swimmers will be able to benefit from fresh-look changing rooms and an improved swimming environment, while sports hall users will be able to enjoy an improved playing surface.”

Money for the pool energy saving works has come from the Government’s Swimming Pool Support Fund Grant – £70k secured earlier in the year – with the rest funded by the council’s capital investment programme.

Don’t worry the improvements won’t take long!  Remember your membership at Dronfield Active means you can also use our other centres as you would do at Dronfield, so you can swim at Eckington Active while the works take place.

If you have a swimming membership, information about how the closure will affect you can be found here.


Eckington Active is 50!

A cornerstone of the community for half a century, the leisure centre has seen its fair few children, parents and grandparents through its doors over the years.

From swimming to gym and catching up over a cuppa in the café, the centre has helped the community and now the centre is giving back to you.

Starting on Monday 28th October, there will be a week of fun filled activities including:

  • Refurbished Gym to re-open on Monday 28th October with an official opening by Cllr Kathy Rouse on Friday 15th November at 1pm.
  • Café will be selling 50th themed sweet treats
  • Pool Parties as part of the October half term on Monday 28th & Wednesday 30th, 1.30-3pm with floats/rafts & inflatable balls
  • Mega Party Experience disco from the balcony on the above dates.
  • Membership promotion of 50% off ‘pro rata’ payment Monday 4-10 November
  • Photo display of Eckington over the years.

North East Derbyshire District Council Cabinet Member for Leisure, Cllr Kathy Rouse said: “What a fantastic milestone for our leisure centre, 50 years of serving our communities, helping them learn to swim, get fit and a space where everyone is welcome.

“Many of our residents have some fantastic memories from over the years and the old girl is looking good for her age after we have invested in green solar energy, reducing carbon emissions enormously and we have just finished a full gym refurbishment, she’s as good as new!”.

You can find out more about the leisure centres by visiting www.justdomore.co.uk or signing up to receive email updates and offers from the centres.


Health help on hand

A sciatica sufferer has praised our Exercise by Referral classes for helping her on the road to recovery.

Sheila Dungworth (75) from Holmesfield was referred onto the 12-week scheme by her physiotherapist after suffering from the condition, which can cause extreme pain in the bottom, backs of legs and feet.

After joining in with the low impact circuit classes and enjoying them so much, she now attends Dronfield Active once a week.

She has thanked our Healthy Lifestyles Instructor Georgia Limb for helping her to get moving again.

Sheila said: “It (the sciatica) has all gone now.

“I still had it when I started with Georgia, but the 12 weeks certainly helped and the whole experience was a lifting one.

“Georgia is very nice. The people are very nice there.”

Sheila praised the fun sessions, which take place to music and include activities such as a basketball challenge.

She added: “I haven’t done it before and I found I actually enjoyed it.

“It lifts you. You are not on your own. You are all wanting to get better.

“I’m feeling massively better.”

Georgia said: “I’m so pleased Sheila has benefitted from the scheme and is feeling better.

“It’s great to hear her physical symptoms have gone now, but she still enjoys exercising with us.”

To participate in the scheme, you must be aged 19+ and either make an appointment with your GP or complete the self-assessment tool on the Live Life Better Derbyshire website

Activities can include gym, swimming, low impact circuit training, cardiac rehabilitation, chair-based exercise and Forever Active. Other activities are available, but are chargeable at a pay-as-you-go-rate.

Pictured: Sheila (centre, purple jacket) with her friends at the low impact circuit training class.


WIN with our leisure survey!

Have your say on our leisure services and be in with the chance of winning £50!

As a leisure centre user, we are keen to know how you rate our facilities and services.

How often do you use Killamarsh Active, Eckington Active and Dronfield Active?, which facilities have you used over the last 12 months?, how satisfied are you with our facilities?

Cllr Kathy Rouse, Cabinet member for Leisure, said: “Your views are important to us to help monitor customer satisfaction and improve our facilities, so please make some time to have your say.”

The survey is quick and easy to complete and everyone who fills it in* will have the chance of winning a £50 Amazon voucher!

The survey will open for a fortnight from 28 October – 10 November.

You can fill in the survey online or pick up a paper copy from the leisure centres.

For more information about all our leisure facilities, including Clay Cross Active set to open early 2025, see our new website – www.justdomore.co.uk

*Contact details required to enter prize draw.


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Registered Office: North East Derbyshire District Council, 2013 Mill Lane, Wingerworth, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, S42 6NG, United Kingdom

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