Navigating the New Year at our leisure centres
With the busy post-Christmas period on the horizon, we've put together a handy Navigating the New Year guide to help you get the most out of your membership in 2025.
Active Health
If you have a medical condition that will benefit from physical activity, our Active Health scheme offers the support you need to improve your health and wellbeing, using a range of fantastic facilities at our leisure centres.
Your GP or health professional may feel that physical activity could help with your physical or mental health and well being.
A referral will give you access to our Active Health scheme, where you will have the support and advice of our dedicated specialist instructors. They will promote healthy lifestyle changes and prescribe safe and effective physical activity.
You can be referred by a GP, nurse, physiotherapist, social prescriber, health and wellbeing coach, or other health professional.
Eligibility
You can be referred by your GP or a health professional and must be:
- aged 14 years and over
- committed to making a long-term lifestyle change
- clinically stable and compliant with your medication
- have an existing health condition, recovering from an operation or other risk factors for disease, such as:
- coronary heart disease
- high blood pressure
- high cholesterol
- arthritis
- osteoarthritis
- osteoporosis
- asthma
- COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
- long covid
- diabetes
- mental health issues
- obesity
Supervised sessions
This includes:
- a free assessment
- an induction, which costs £13
- a follow-up appointment
First 12 weeks
£5.60 per gym session, or half price three month Wellness Anytime Membership for £74.99 (discount only applies to new members and can only be used once per person).
After 12 weeks
For membership options, please speak to your designated instructor.
You can only attend via a referral from your GP or health professional.
A member of the Active Health team will contact you to book your assessment. We aim to contact you within 7 days of your referral.
If you haven't been contacted within 7 days of your referral, you can call your designated centre:
- Call Riverside on 01245 615077
- Call CSAC on 01245 605812
- Call SWFLC on 01245 605600
This service is not available at Dovedale.
Our current Active Health members talk about the benefits of the scheme and how it has helped them.
“I cannot recommend Active Health enough. I joined primarily to work on my mental health and have seen so many benefits - I love to get lost in a workout - but it's also been really gratifying to feel myself get physically stronger. The instructors have been passionate, knowledgeable, empathetic and have challenged me at exactly the right level.”
Liz
"I was at a low point in my life, when the GP suggested I try the Active Health programme at my local gym. My body was screaming NO, but I listened to my head and took the GP’s advice; I had nothing to lose, I told myself. This was the best decision I had taken in my life, and quite frankly it has given me a life once again.”
Mark
"Creating a program felt like a collaboration, rather than being told "these are the exercises that are good for you, and there should be no deviation from the plan." "
Adam
“I was introduced to Active Health via my doctor due to being pre-diabetic, and although I made a big change to my lifestyle through diet and drinking, I wanted to give this a try. Whilst I had reservations as had never used a gym before, I couldn't have been more wrong about it. All the staff are knowledgeable and helpful and very understanding to your needs. Having had life changing surgery in 2018 they tailored my exercise to suit my health conditions, and made me feel totally at ease and comfortable.”
Jeff
Opening hours
- Monday to Friday, 6am to 10pm
- Saturday and Sunday, 6am to 7pm
- Bank holidays, 9am to 5pm
Entry to the gym
- If you have an ourChelmsford Premium account, you can tap straight through the barrier.
- If you need to pay for the gym you will need to go to reception to pay and activate your ourChelmsford card.
- If you have forgotten your card you will need to collect a barcode from reception or a kiosk to get through the barrier.
- If you require use of the lift to access the first floor, you will need to go to reception to activate your ourChelmsford card.
Technogym Key
- If you lose your Technogym Key you will need to pay to replace it.
Lockers and changing rooms
- There is a male group changing area and a female group changing area located by studio 2 on the first floor.
- A Changing Places area is located by studio 1 on the first floor.
- Lockers with number keypads are located in the dryside changing room near the gym on the first floor.
Opening hours
- Monday to Friday, 7am to 10pm
- Saturday, 8am to 6pm
- Sunday, 9am to 9pm
- Bank holidays, 7am to 12pm
Lockers and changing rooms
- If you want to use a locker, you will need to bring a £1 token or purchase one from reception to release the key.
- There is a male group changing area and a female group changing area.
- Accessible changing facilities are available.
Opening hours
Monday to Friday
- 6.15am to 9am
- 5pm to 10pm
Saturday and Sunday
- 8am to 8pm
Lockers and changing rooms
- If you want to use a locker, you will need a £1 coin to release the key. You will get the £1 back when you return the key. Lockers are located in the gym.
- There is a male group changing area and a female group changing area.
- Accessible changing is available on poolside at all times, or near to the gym after 5pm.
