Solutions Gym

The Gym was introduced as an incentive for PLUG members as an aid to your recovery and abstinence, also for good and continued attendance at PLUG meetings. Rather than it being a right that PLUG members are entitled to, it is a privilege that should not be abused.

Eligibility to Join

• You must be stable or abstinent from drugs & alcohol and are either still in treatment in Croydon or have recently completed treatment. (incl. prison, rehab, detox).
• You must be 18yrs old or over.

• You must also be willing to attend at least two PLUG meeting on a
  Wednesday evening.

How to Join

Make an appointment with the Service User Reps who are based at Lantern Hall on Friday mornings from 10am-12noon.  You can do this through Lantern Hall reception, Tel 020 8604 7104 or ask your keyworker to direct you.

The SUReps will explain the gym membership and conditions of use.  If you decide you want to join, you will be asked to pay £2.50 for an induction and £3.00 per month, payable in advance.  This gives you access to all gym facilities each month.  If you decide you will not be using the gym for one month, you do not need to pay for that month. 

You will also be allocated a nominated keyholder and a secondary keyholder.  These are the people you need to contact to book a date and time for a key to be left at reception for you to be able to use the gym.

Conditions for GYM use

We ask that PLUG members do not introduce other people to PLUG for this reason alone. If we believe that somebody has come to PLUG just to join the gym, and has no intention of being involved in any other aspect of PLUG, we reserve the right not to allow that person to become a gym member, or terminate their gym membership.

There is also the obvious and important issue of PLUG members and their using behaviour whilst outside of PLUG. We must stress that although we are not an abstinence based group, we expect PLUG members to use their common sense. We have had incidences where some people have used drink and/or drugs heavily and have then used the gym soon afterwards. This is unacceptable, it is your health at stake here. It is not advisable to undertake strenuous exercise when your body is in such a condition. You need to be taking steps to address your using behaviour, in line with your Care Plan, if you wish to continue to use the gym.

• You must attend at least two full PLUG meetings each month to be eligible for the gym. A full meeting is from 5.30pm until 8pm or earlier if the chair feels it necessary.
• Gym bookings are to be given in at the end of the meeting each Wednesday. Until further notice, no bookings will be taken over the phone unless exceptional circustances apply. Please discuss this with Lisa or Francis if you feel this applies to you.
• Nobody is to make any cancellations, bookings or any other member enquiries through the staff at Solutions Gym. All queries should be made through through either Lisa or Francis. Gym staff will only help with issues concerning the gym itself, i.e. classes, and not any issues surrounding PLUG member's bookings/membership.
• You must give 24 hours notice for all cancellations. You must either call or text Lisa or Francis to do this. You are not to ring Solutions or go to the gym and inform the staff of your cancellation; this will not count as a cancellation. You will receive a strike if you do this.
• If you do not cancel any booking with 24 hours notice, or do not attend a booked space, this will be counted as 'one strike'. If this happens three times, your gym membership will be suspended for a month. An up-to-date list of each member and any 'strikes' will be kept by PLUG.
• Continually turning up for your booking too early will result in a 'strike'. Your booking is for two hours only and starts at the time agreed with your keyholder, not before. Solutions Staff have been informed not to allow anybody in early as this affects bookings either side of yours.
• Nobody has the right to ask to see the Gym Book at Solutions. This is for the use of PLUG Keyholders and Solutions staff only. Solutions staff have been informed that nobody is allowed to look through the book anymore.
• Gym membership cost £3 per month. All monies are due by the 9th of each month, without fail. If you have not paid by this time, any bookings you have made will be cancelled and no further bookings will be taken from you until you have paid.
• As a greater number of people are using the gym, there is less space available at certain times. Therefore, with immediate effect, we reserve the right to request that members change their bookings at peak times to a less busy, 'Off-Peak' slot. If you have had a certain time on a certain day for a period of time, this does not mean that you have the right to this slot. This allows all members the opportunity to use the gym at a time which suits them., not just a few members. Peak and Off-Peak gym times will be explained below.
• We generally do not encourage use of the gym for 7 days a week, as the body needs time to rest in between sessions. However, if you still wish to use the gym for 6-7 days per week the booking procedure will be as follows: You will be allowed to book a Peak Slot for no more than 4 days per week, with the rest of your weeks bookings at Off-Peak times. Therefore if you use the gym for 7 days per week, 4 of your days can be at peak times and the remaining 3 das at off-peak times only. Peak times are 11am-4pm Monday to Friday and from 1pm-3pm Saturday. All other times are classed as off-peak. If you have any questions or queries regarding any of the above, please the number below.
  • Lisa - 07548-639224 / Francis - 07521-1933295