THE final touches are being made to an indoor climbing centre in Bicester to make sure it is safe for visitors to return next weekend.

Clip ‘n Climb Bicester plans to open on Saturday, July 25 as thousands of gyms, leisure centres, and sports facilities across the UK prepare to reopen.

The centre will follow government and public health guidance, along with support from climbing wall manufacturers, Entre-Prises, to make sure that when people return to the facility for family fun, they can do so in a safe environment.

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Once the site in Bessemer Close opens, there will be changes such as a one-way system, signs, reduced capacity and no overlapping climbing sessions.

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Managing director, Keely Weir, said: “We have a one-way system in place and signs guiding customers on how to act safely and responsibly, similar to the signs used in supermarkets.

“A few of our walls will operate on a rotational system to enable users to maintain social distancing.

“The biggest change we have made is how our sessions run. We have reduced our capacity and where we used to have overlapping sessions, climbers will now be in the arena with the same people for the whole session.

“We feel that this provides customers with a greater reassurance and makes it easier for us to be part of the government track and trace system.”

Clip ‘n Climb Bicester closed its doors when the government closed schools as it said it was wrong to encourage people to gather with their children when they were unable to go to a place of safety and learning such as a school.

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It is also following the Fit Together campaign launched by fitness industry trade body, ukactive, which is guiding sports facilities on how they can safely restart business.

When guests arrive for the first time since March, they will see more sanitising stations, including a sanitising mat to sanitise your shoes before you climb; sneeze screens at the reception area and café counters and the briefing area has been relocated to a larger room.

Staff have had additional training to ensure they are confident in new policies and procedures and they will have their temperature checked ensuring they do not have a temperature of 38° or above.

Clip n Climb Bicester has been awarded the VisitEngland ‘We’re Good to Go’ industry charter mark which means it meets the Government and public health guidance on Covid-19 and has all the required health and safety processes in place to safely reopen.

Ms Weir added “Families have had it tough for a good few months now, it is important for both physical and mental health for families to be able to have fun and exercise together.

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“As a parent, it is important to me that we provide an environment where other parents feel that they and their children are safe, in a non-crowded environment, with safety control measures in place.

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“I am happy that with our new #clipclimbclean motto, we will continue to provide fun family climbing in a safe environment.”

The climbing centre opened last October and features more than 20 climbing challenges specially chosen for all ages.

Toddlers can even get a taste for climbing in the dedicated toddler Rhyme 'n Climb session for children aged two plus and their carers.

Brightly coloured bespoke walls have proved a 'huge hit' so far with visitors braving the Stairway to Heaven, Speed Climb and vertical drop slide.

For more information about how Clip ‘n Climb Bicester is ensuring it is Covid Secure and to book your session, go to bicester.clipnclimb.co.uk.