Health clubs/swimming pools w creches

[Guest guest]

Does anyone know where I can find one?

I know you're not all in London NW5 - but just ideas of where I can

get the information? Yellow pages etc have loads and loads of

listings but I'm not dreadfully keen on ringing every single one :-)

to ask about a creche?

My nearest (LA Fitness) costs an absolute fortune, has a dismal

little nursery room open only between 9.30 and 11.30 - and there are

virtally no exercise classes in this time frame. Plus they've

cancelled the creche at the weekend now. Plus they hate children.

So would be keen to find something else... still making plans for my

January (nearly) full-time motherhood.

Karina

[Guest guest]

> Does anyone know where I can find one?

>

> I know you're not all in London NW5 - but just ideas of where I

can

> get the information?

There is one called Cannons in St Albans which is used a lot by

mums with small children as the creche is so good - maybe they

are part of a chain? They used to be called Pinnacle.

I belong to a posh hotel one (Sopwell House) where we would

frequently share the jacuzzi with the Arsenal team (lucky me!)

when they used it for their fitness training place!!! Only problem

is that they don't have a creche at all - so you either off load the

kids or have them in the pool with you. I currently go first thing

after dropping the boys off at school and can almost have the

pool to myself - but this of course will change from January!

Caroline

[Guest guest]

I belong to LA fitness Golders green branch whose pool is very small,

that's the main drawback. I like it though because it caters for

orthodox ladies like me, by having a separate women's gym and women's

swimming times. (and mens, and mixed!). I don't find it that

expensive compared to places like Holmes Place which has off and on

peak prices. Sometimes I do go to LA Finchley, whose pool is stunning

but it isn't separate.

I don't know about the creche as I haven't needed one in a while,

sorry!

Ruthie

PS Yeshaya has just come home for Zehava's engagment, an indulgence I

know. He's going back to Israel on Saturday night.

[Guest guest]

Our borough has 3 health club places and the one near us

has a good creche and a good pool. Unfortunately, except on

school holidays, the pool is used by schools during the

only times the creche is open (mornings). Well, both are

open sometimes in the evening as well, but by then, if I

can't get DH home in time for me to go, I don't tend to go

(don't go much anyway, but that's laziness).

You don't have to be amember to use the creche, either, and

you can even book ahead (if you pay ahead as well). The

lowest level of membership is 12 quid a year, and you only

get discounts on a few activities, but swimming is one of

them and it's about a pound off (so swim 12 times and

you've made your money back).

All this to say, maybe check with your local borough.

Phyllis (babbly, ignoring 21 month old Mr. Grumpy)

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

In article <9r6iof+mc5i (AT) eGroups (DOT) com>, kbholm@... writes

>Does anyone know where I can find one?

>

>I know you're not all in London NW5 - but just ideas of where I can

>get the information? Yellow pages etc have loads and loads of

>listings but I'm not dreadfully keen on ringing every single one :-)

>to ask about a creche?

Have you got a Lloyds near you? I thought there was one over that way.

There's one close to me (Enfield), and it has a crèche, which my friend

is quite happy to leave her one-year-old in (I'm still trying to get dh

to sort out a family membership!).

Cath

[Guest guest]

What about a nursery place for the kids one morning/afternoon a week,

then you don't need to worry about somewhere with a creche and you

perhaps get a bit of extra time for whatever else yourself too. Might

be a bit extravagant/expensive though.

Todman

Treasurer, Stansted Branch (R5)

Mum to , 3¾

Health clubs/swimming pools w creches

> Does anyone know where I can find one?

>

> I know you're not all in London NW5 - but just ideas of where I can

> get the information? Yellow pages etc have loads and loads of

> listings but I'm not dreadfully keen on ringing every single one :-)

> to ask about a creche?

>

> My nearest (LA Fitness) costs an absolute fortune, has a dismal

> little nursery room open only between 9.30 and 11.30 - and there are

> virtally no exercise classes in this time frame. Plus they've

> cancelled the creche at the weekend now. Plus they hate children.

>

> So would be keen to find something else... still making plans for my

> January (nearly) full-time motherhood.

>

>

> Karina

>

>

> *** NCT enquiry line - 0 ***

>

> Live chat http://www.yahoogroups.com/chat/nct-coffee

>

> Have you found out about all the other groups for the NCT online?

>

>

[Guest guest]

> I like it though because it caters for

>orthodox ladies like me, by having a separate women's gym and women's

>swimming times. (and mens, and mixed!).

A-ha! I knew there had to be a reason for Women only gyms and pool

times.

We have a few health clubs here in Nottingham/Derby - JJB have just

opened one which is the cheapest (except the local leisure centre) and

offers women only things, including a gym. Virgin also opened one over

the summer, which looks pretty swish. The one I belong to is attached

to a local hotel.

Some questions worth asking (although you might not get answers!):

How qualified are the staff? (Some have sports science degrees; some

have other qualifications such as YMCA. Some places are awful and take

on qualified staff only to let their qualifications expire.)

What's the staff turnover like?

Do they have a lot of dormant members?

How often can you get re-programmed? E.g. Virgin have a key system which

automatically alerts the staff when you have visited and done your

programme 12 times IIRC and they will check your progress.

Do they have qualified lifeguards on duty? Private clubs are not

obliged to put anyone on pool duty. Let alone someone's who qualified.

Council run facilities *must* have qualified staff on duty round the

pool.

Are you tied into a contract? Some of the newer clubs will let you pay

month by month and don't charge an upfront joining fee.

What's included in the fee? Is it lower if you go off-peak i.e. during

9-5 working hours? Look at the extras you pay for e.g they provide

towels and toiletries - would their toiletries suit your skin and is it

really that much hassle to take a towel or two along?

One major perk of Virgin for anyone on this list is that you get free

internet access in their cafe if you're a member!! Of course, I suppose

you have to fight your way onto the machine first.

It can be extremely enlightening talking to the staff but sadly you

don't generally get to know them well enough to get this sort of info

until you've become part of the furniture (like me!!).

There's a website somewhere which has most clubs across the UK listed.

You might be able to find it through http://www.hfonline.co.uk If I get

chance, I'll go through my magazines and see if I can find the URL. You

put in your town/postcode and it spits out the nearest clubs with links

to their websites etc.

--

Sue

[Guest guest]

Yes we've got a Cannon's in Bishops Stortford. Never been there, but

it does, I'm told, have a creche with qualified staff.

Todman

Treasurer, Stansted Branch (R5)

Mum to , 3¾

> There is one called Cannons in St Albans which is used a lot by

> mums with small children as the creche is so good - maybe they

> are part of a chain?

[Guest guest]

> Yes we've got a Cannon's in Bishops Stortford. Never been there,

but

> it does, I'm told, have a creche with qualified staff.

I joined that one when it first opened, and they were waiving the

joining fee! Hardly used the place as you could never get the kids

into the creche. They have had lots of problems as there is nothing

similar in the area and lots of mums who want to use the creche. To

get a place in the creche you have to ring at exactly 8am 6 days

prior to the date you want to use the gym/class - if you call at a

minute past all the creche places are gone! I gave up in the end and

cancelled my membership (along with lots of others) I have heard

that it has now improved and you can only book a max of 1 hour at a

time to make it fairer - more creche facilities needed in Bishops

Stortford I think!

Beverly

Who will consider re-newing in the new year once I get the OK.

[Guest guest]

There's a Holmes Place in Crouch End with a swimming pool and a creche. I

haven't been but a friend of mine is a member and joined because of the

creche. Having said that she seems to go mostly in the evenings when her DH

has the children!

Karina - how are your kids? I meant to reply earlier (and forgot!) to say

that my DD seemed to get a funny rash along with a cold a couple of months

ago. We took her to the GP who said it was either a viral rash which is

quite common esp. in children or eczema. hoping it's not the latter and

fingers crossed as it disappeared when her cold passed.

Health clubs/swimming pools w creches

> Does anyone know where I can find one?

>

> I know you're not all in London NW5 - but just ideas of where I can

> get the information? Yellow pages etc have loads and loads of

> listings but I'm not dreadfully keen on ringing every single one :-)

> to ask about a creche?

>

> My nearest (LA Fitness) costs an absolute fortune, has a dismal

> little nursery room open only between 9.30 and 11.30 - and there are

> virtally no exercise classes in this time frame. Plus they've

> cancelled the creche at the weekend now. Plus they hate children.

>

> So would be keen to find something else... still making plans for my

> January (nearly) full-time motherhood.

>

>

> Karina

>

>

> *** NCT enquiry line - 0 ***

>

> Live chat http://www.yahoogroups.com/chat/nct-coffee

>

> Have you found out about all the other groups for the NCT online?

>

>