We are incredibly excited to share with you some updates coming to our leisure centres. Phase one begins with the gym refurbishments for the Oxford City Leisure contract.

These are major projects for all our facilities, which means there will inevitably be disruption to our usual service during the installation period. We’ve created this FAQ guide to keep all our customers up to date alongside a planned timeline so you have an idea of when this will all take place. 

When will the gym works start?

Within each site the gym area will close for around 12 days to allow the removal of kit, redecoration and the installation of new kit to take place, this is with the exception of Barton Leisure Centre with further details below. Please note the Group Exercise Classes, pools, sports halls and any other areas within the centre will remain open as normal.

Schedule of works below:

Ferry Leisure Centre
Close at the end of day, 28^th July.
Reopen 10^th August.

Leys Leisure Centre
Close at the end of day, 4^th August.
Reopen 17^th August.

Barton Leisure Centre
Close at the end of day, 11^th August.
Centre closure 15th-16th August
Reopen 24^th August.

Please note that the dates could be subject to slight change, while we respond to contractor timelines.

Can I use another site during the closure period if I have a single site membership?

Yes, we are pleased to advise that for gym only access (not swim and classes), your Health and Fitness membership will be valid for this short period at our neighbouring facilities.  Meaning Barton Leisure Centre, Leys Leisure Centre and Ferry Leisure Centre members can use gyms across the contract.

Please be aware that some of the equipment may differ slightly, we advise you to speak to a member of staff if you are unsure. Also, car parking arrangements are slightly different at each facility.

What equipment can I expect to see?

Ferry Leisure Centre
§  Upgraded cardio suite.
§  Increased free weights.
§  Plate-loaded equipment
§  Multipurpose Training Rig, Air Bike and Ski Ergs
§  EGYM equipment

Leys Leisure Centre
§  Upgraded cardio suite.
§  Increased free weights.
§  Plate-loaded equipment
§  Virtual indoor cycling offering
§  EGYM equipment

Barton Leisure Centre
§  Upgraded cardio suite.
§  Increased free weights.
§  Boditrax

The latest range of Life Fitness Cardio Equipment including treadmills, cross-trainers, bikes, PowerMills and more.  There will be an improvement to the strength area with the inclusion of Life Fitness Insignia series pin loaded equipment on top of the latest range of plate loaded Equipment. In addition to this, there will be an upgrade of the free weights area to include new power racks with lifting platforms and a larger range of dumbbells.

What is E-Gym?

E-Gym is a tech-enable work out experience. It allows members to check and track their progress and personalise your workouts more. The machines are electronic and will adapt how you are training to ensure you are getting the best results from your workout. The machines can be used from a beginner level and progress to a more intense workout.

Each member will be set up with an account through the More App allowing you to sign into the machines by tapping your phone, allowing your personalised work outs to happen instantly.

How is the layout and equipment going to change from what we have now?

There will be noticeable changes to the gym floor layout, you can see these on the plans.

Will Group Exercise classes be affected?

There will be zero disruption to the workout timetable. Other than at Barton Leisure Centre during the full centre closure from 15^th-16^th August. Members will be given access to the other facilities for swimming and group exercise sessions during this time.

Will we be inducted on the new equipment?

Most of the new equipment will display a QR code that can be scanned to receive an instant demonstration on how the equipment works but if you feel like you need more support why not book in for a ‘Get Going’ session where one of our team can make sure you are comfortable in the new environment.

How can we check progress?

Look out for further exciting progress updates on our website and social media.

As of 30th March 2024, the MORE Leisure Community Trust has taken over the management and operation of The Oxford Ice Rink, Barton Leisure Centre, Ferry Leisure Centre, Leys Pools & Leisure Centre and Hinksey Outdoor Pool. We understand current members of these centres may have questions about the upcoming change in operators and we hope the below Frequently Asked Questions will help to answer any queries you may have.

How do I create an online account for my membership?
As a member, you will need to register for our online member services in order to be able to book all of our fantastic facilities online, either through our free My MORE App or on the website, and to manage your membership digitally. To register for an online account, you will need to visit https://oxfordcityleisure.legendonlineservices.co.uk/Oxford_RG_home/account/login and click the blue “Create Account” button.

You will then be asked to input the email address associated with your membership (or add an email address for the first time), set up a password for your online account (please keep this password safe for future use or save it onto your device) and accept the Terms & Conditions of use. An email validating your online account will then be sent to you, please check your Junk/Spam folder for this email in case it does not appear in your regular Inbox. From this email, you will then be able to successfully link your membership to our online services by clicking the website link within the email and entering some short details about your membership. After this, you will be able to login and access your membership online as well as book classes, swims and activities through this online services portal.

Will there be a new member mobile app?:
There certainly will! Before you download our app, you need to make sure you have registered for an online account by following the steps outlined in "How do I create an online account for my membership?" outlined above. We’d like to introduce you to your new My MORE App. The My MORE App is completely free for all our members and is a fantastic motivational tool to help support you with your fitness journey, including exclusive workout tracking, training plans, customer rewards, card-free access to your centre and monthly fitness challenges too! You can download the app to your device by visiting https://www.morefitness.app/ today and downloading it from either the Apple or Google Play Store.

Please note, your My MORE App account will be separate to your online membership account, so the first step is to create your free My MORE App account, which you can do from the home screen by pressing “Login In | Sign Up” then selecting your Home Location from the centre options listed. Then select “Create Account” and this will automatically give you access to everything you need at our centre via the app and all of the app’s features.

When you go to make a booking on the app you will be required to login with your online membership account, but this process will soon be altered to provide a much better member experience for bookings within the app, which we will update you on in the near future. Alternatively, members can book via the “Timetables” page on our website.

How can I make a booking?
All bookings are now live, which members and pay as you go customers will be able to make either via the website at https://www.oxfordcityleisure.com/ or via our free My MORE App, which can be downloaded at https://www.morefitness.app/. In order to make a booking via the website or the app you will need to register your membership for an online account.

Will my membership carry on during the changeover?
All memberships currently active will be transferred over automatically, so members won’t have to worry about anything during the transfer of their memberships.

Do pay as you go users need a membership?
All pay as you go members and activity bookers will require a membership to use our facilities. In order to access our centres on a pay-as-you-go or casual booking basis, you will need a free MORE Membership. Our complimentary MORE Membership gives casual customers who use our facility for things such as court hire and casual swimming a host of member benefits with no formal contract. With a free MORE Membership, you'll be able to access all the features on our My MORE App - from booking into classes & activities online, card-free centre access, tracking your workouts and gaining reward points to redeem in the centre and more!

Will there be any changes to swimming lessons?
For members on swimming lessons, your swimming lessons will stay the same and continue to follow the Swim England Learn to Swim Pathway. Lessons will run for 50 weeks of the year, including Bank Holidays, pausing for Christmas and the New Year. The main change to swimming lessons will be that we use our own MORE Swimming portal. You will be able to access the MORE Swimming portal by visiting https://serco.courseprogress.co.uk/login and from 30th March you will be able to register for the system by visiting https://serco.courseprogress.co.uk/register, but please do not register before this date as your details will not yet be in the system. As part of this transfer there will be a short disruption to the awards progress displayed. Initially the progress for awards will show as zero, but over the first 2-3 weeks of lessons, swimming teachers will be re-updating progress for all awards back to previous levels.

When the centres do open, will the centre facilities be open as normal?
The ambition is to open the gym, pools, ice rink and our other facilities as normal, however, there may be periods of short closure whilst new staff, in particular lifeguards are recruited and trained. We appreciate your patience and understanding during any short-term closures of areas of the centres, and we will keep customers informed of any impact to their day-to-day experiences of our centres if a short-term closure should need to be in place.

Why is my booking not being discounted by my membership when I book via the My MORE App or online?
Our health & fitness members get group exercise classes as part of their membership and swimming sessions. Our swimming lesson members also get free swimming too. However, if you are noticing that your sessions are not being discounted by your membership when booking via the My MORE App or the website, please make sure you are logged into your online membership account, this will then see your session discounted as it will then be linked to your membership. Please do not make any bookings as a “Guest” otherwise the booking will try to charge you full price because it does not know you are a current, active member.

Can we expect to see the same Group Exercise timetable?
Absolutely, we plan on maintaining the same quality group exercise timetable members have been used to in the beginning and we will look to expand and add to this experience throughout the year.

Can we still hire out any pitches, swimming pool and sports halls?
Yes, all of our facilities will now be bookable and hireable for members and clubs & groups through contacting the centres directly.

Will the cafés remain open?
We are in the process of arranging the cafés to open at Leys Pools & Leisure Centre and Ferry Leisure Centre with a continued offering at the Ice Rink and Hinksey Outdoor Pool. More information on our cafés will be provided shortly.

Will you be making any improvements to the facilities?
We will be enhancing the facilities with various refurbishment projects throughout 2024, which will include new gym equipment, new and enhanced group exercise studios and some exciting family offerings. All of these exciting updates will be communicated to members in due course.

We will also be going through a programme of repairs and redecoration, which will hopefully improve the experience of our members on your future visits.

Will there be any price changes?
We have no immediate plans to change our membership and pay as you go prices at any of the centres, but we will be reviewing all of our pricing later in the year to ensure our competitive pricing allows us to provide our members with the top-quality leisure experience they expect.

Will there be any changes to my membership benefits such as access to group exercise?
We are pleased to say we will be scrapping the limit of three group exercise classes a week for members, instead we will be offering members unlimited access to our group exercise classes, which we hope will be a welcome change for members. 

Will my membership give me access to multiple centres?
Customers can purchase a membership for either the Oxford Ice Rink, Leys Pools and Leisure Centre, Barton Leisure Centre, Ferry Leisure Centre and Hinksey Outdoor Pool individually or take advantage of the contract wide membership that will allow them access to the Oxford Ice Rink, Leys Pools and Leisure Centre, Barton Leisure Centre and Ferry Leisure Centre. However, for new members, this membership type will not include access to Hinksey Outdoor Pool, but if your existing membership allowed for access to Hinksey Outdoor Pool, this will still be permitted. New memberships for Hinksey Outdoor Pool will be treated separately due to the seasonality and demand for the pool. We will be communicating the date of the pre-sale for the Hinksey Outdoor Pool annual membership to members very soon.