THE future of the Oasis Leisure Centre is quite rightly be making the headlines this morning after the news broke that GLL, the leisure provider operating the site, will surrender its lease on the facility.

It is incredibly sad news for the staff affected and my thoughts are with them and their families at this time. I hope they can be redeployed elsewhere by GLL.

The word ‘iconic’ is often used about many well-known landmarks, but in the case of the Oasis it is a fitting description. The leisure centre when it was built was ahead of its time and has been a huge draw for local people and beyond over the last 45 years.

However, the leisure industry has been badly affected by coronavirus and GLL has pointed to the impact of Covid-19 as being a major reason for deciding not to reopen post December 2. The charitable social enterprise has, though, reinforced its commitment to the six other leisure centres it runs on behalf of the council.

I would like to reassure Advertiser readers that we will continue to work with SevenCapital, as landlord of the Oasis, to find a way forward. We will provide you with an update as soon as we are able.

The pandemic continues to dominate our everyday lives and here in the borough we still find ourselves in the midst of a serious situation regarding our case numbers.

As of yesterday our case rate was 216.5 per 100,000 of the local population, which is above the regional average (194.1) and not that far behind the national average of 270.8.

It is now more important than ever we all take as many steps as we can to stop the virus spreading and avoid overwhelming our NHS in Swindon. This will ensure we can all continue to access the important medical treatment and advice we need.

On a lighter note, I was delighted to see one of the council’s care homes recently made the local news for all the right reasons.

Fessey House in Haydon Wick has not seen a single case of the virus among its residents since the pandemic began, which is thanks to the amazing work of staff who have made it their mission to keep all the residents in their care safe from the disease.

Fessey House, and fellow council-run Whitbourne House in Park South (which has also so far seen no positive cases among residents), took the decision to shut their doors to visitors a week before the national lockdown came into effect in March. The homes were separated into self-contained blocks, each with their own teams, to add another layer of protection and stringent procedures were brought in to stop the spread of the virus.

This was a difficult decision, but a necessary one at a time when the virus was beginning to spiral out of control, particularly in care homes. I know myself how hard that was for families too as my own mother, who passed away a few weeks ago, was being cared for at Fessey House before being admitted to hospital for various age-related conditions.

So I was really pleased to see that both homes are now allowing family visitors after creating special Covid-secure spaces for them to meet and talk to their relatives.

The areas are outside the main care home buildings, but enable guests to see their relatives through a window and be able to speak to them via an intercom.

I know it will make a big difference not only to the residents of both homes, but for their families too.