CEREDIGION leisure centres will re-open on Monday, council chiefs have confirmed this afternoon.

Nearly two years after Plascrug Leisure Centre and Cardigan Leisure Centre were closed and used as field hospitals, Ceredigion County Council has confirmed that they will open their doors to the public from Monday.

In a statement, the council said: “All council operated leisure facilities, which are Aberaeron Leisure Centre, Cardigan Leisure Centre, Lampeter Leisure Centre, Lampeter Swimming Pool, Penglais Sports hall and Plascrug Leisure Centre, will re-open on Monday 31 January.

“Reinstatement and maintenance work at Cardigan Leisure Centre, Lampeter Swimming Pool and Plascrug Leisure Centre has been completed and all the facilities are ready to welcome back their users.

“Following their use as Field Hospitals and vaccination centres, improvements have been made at Plascrug, which include a new sportshall floor; squash court lighting has been upgraded and a new Air Handling Unit has been installed.

“In Cardigan there’s new lighting and flooring and additional equipment has been installed in the fitness suite.

“The contact nature of some sports activities will be restricted to the outdoors for the time being to reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission. Individual Clubs and groups will be contacted directly.”

As the risk posed by coronavirus still exists, to minimise risk of transmission and to protect both residents and staff, people wishing to use leisure facilities will have to pre-book and the centres will be operating at reduced capacities.

Bookings can be made from Thursday 27 January 2022 by telephoning the facilities during opening hours or e-mailing [email protected].

A council spokesperson added: “The council recognises that it has been a challenging period for all concerned and we look forward to welcoming the residents of Ceredigion back to our facilities and providing the opportunity for them to be physically active once again.

“We must all remain vigilant as the coronavirus has not gone away. If you’re feeling unwell, self-isolate and book a PCR test immediately. If you test positively on an LFT, record the result on the Welsh Government website and follow the self-isolation rules.”