Stop membership cancellation - New Lanark health and fitness

Dear New Lanark Trust,  

We your members and local community are very disappointed in the recent news that you are closing your doors to your members.  We have been informed of this with little notice due to poor communication, with many members not receiving the closure email you sent and this decision being made without consultation. Many members report not receiving the cancellation email but finding out within the last two weeks when accessing the facilities through New Lanark staff or other members.

We would like to remind you of the plaque that sits within your gym facilities, “apen’d fur fowks”.

It does not say solely for hotel guests and for financial profit.

 The history and ethos of New Lanark mill and New Lanark and its founder Robert Owen has been one of community. All your members are within New Lanark, Lanark and surrounding areas and to disregard our views and cancel our membership is very disappointing .  

It appears this ethos of community has been replaced by one of profit margins, as per you closure email stating “it’s not financially viable”.

However, we are unclear why any solutions haven’t been considered such as placing a hold on memberships and then restarting or transferring your members back to New Lanark as many of them you transferred to 3D leisure in the first place without consultation. We have been informed your current staffing will remain  the same , as will your running costs for the facilities (heating etc ) and will be continued to be open to hotel guests .

Therefore we are unclear how the cancelations of our membership is cost effective when the costs of the staffing and running the facilities remain? In fact, would the additional cost of the members fees not benefit New Lanark Mill?

While we don't have the exact figures, we believe there to be approximately 300 existing members. These members will be on different payment schemes, but a standard membership is £50 per month. Even allowing for family and discount rates etc your members must bring in approximately an income of over £100,000 per year that the Trust will be losing, without apparently substantially cutting costs.

Your loyal members would repeat they have stood by the facilities through COVID, despite the lack of investment,  minimal class or promotion and I can confidently say  all members and community have a strong feeling of being discarded and let down by the Trust by this mystifying decision. 

It is our view that New Lanark prioritise the history and ethos of New Lanark mill around community !! .

We would appreciate this letter, signatures being taken into consideration and you refrain from cancelling our memberships on the 1st of February or at the very least consider alternative solutions as it appears you have done for others who access the pool facilities 

Many of your members have still continued to access the facilities even though the classes stopped and the cleanliness has deteriorated . On liaising with New Lanark staff the main reason you are cancelling 3D leisure  is due to not advertising the facilities very well , not  bringing in new members  and the cleanliness , we are unclear why your members are being penalised for this poor service .

 We are unclear why the options of putting a hold on memberships or interim measures or members being transferred back to New Lanark  were not considered prior to just cancelling our memberships.

Your staff and manager can verify the significant amount of verbal feedback from all the members at being unhappy and disappointed with the cancellation of our memberships, 

 We would appreciate consideration of this letter and a quick response given the timescale of the cancellation of our memberships which is Wednesday 1st February 2023

Yours sincerely your members and local community.

Please verify your signature by email when signing or it won't show up on petition- thanks all 

- I have sent this letter to the trust on the 30th and copied in all three local councillors 

J Cornwell    Contact the author of the petition