08/01/2021
Dear Altered Images Members
Following the government's decision to implement National Lockdown 3.0 effective from Monday 4th January 2021 we wish to update you regarding your membership fees and underneath we wish to give you a summary how things are for Altered Images.
Option 1 PLEASE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT US IF YOU ARE ABLE TO
Option 2 FREEZE IF YOU NEED TO AND CONFIRM YOU STILL WANT TO STAY WITH US AFTER LOCKDOWN
Option 3 CANCEL FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT WISH TO RETURN TO EXERCISE HERE AFTER LOCKDOWN 3.0
As many of you will know from your own businesses and occupations some sectors of the economy have been hit hard and ours is certainly one of those. Indeed in a year when we are due to celebrate our 30th year of providing the people of Bromsgrove with a great choice of ways to exercise, improved physical and mental health and a sense of community and togetherness, what we are facing along with each of you is yet more uncertainty, more disruption and more disconnection from each other.
January and February are our best months of the year when it comes to welcoming new members to the club and these months traditionally set us up for success or otherwise, for the remainder of the year. Last year (2020) we recorded the worst sales ever since 1992 for a January to March period as the threat of Coronavirus began to take shape in people's thoughts and Project Fear was the messaging we all heard. This picture was compounded by the March lockdown 1.0 and at that point we took the decision to freeze all payments, even for those wonderful supporters and die-hard fans of the gym who made a point of asking us to continue to take their membership fees despite the lockdown and not having any sort of access to their club, to help with the ongoing costs we incur running and maintaining this size of building.
In April/May time last year we made a collective decision to borrow extra funds from our bank, to re-invest the government support grants we received into the future of the club and we committed to coming back stronger as a COVID19 Secure Gym when we re-opened on 27th July 2020. Yet when we re-opened, we found we had returned to a very different picture where many long-standing members had cancelled out of fear and uncertainty. Since then the mixed messages we have all received from government have done little to enable us to make up lost ground and so to now be forced to lose the best part of our year membership sales-wise is another huge blow to our comeback.
We must now however find a way forward that listens to our members' concerns regarding their own finances as well as acknowledging the practical challenges we face operationally over the next 2-3 months.
Many of you have already very kindly supported us through mini Lockdown 2.0 in November 2020 with it's clearly defined start and end dates and we would especially like to thank those dedicated gym, free weights, pool and rackets playing members who did not get much benefit from the live stream exercise classes we put on during November, as that generosity and support has helped us cope with greatly reduced membership sales up until Christmas. We had already planned a thank-you gesture due to be released this week ironically, for all those supportive members by offering them a FREE Partner month as our way of giving back and saying thank you, but sadly that thank you programme will have to wait a while until Spring time now.
So for Lockdown 3.0 during January and February 2021 we would ask of each of you as a member that you make one of the following choices please:
Option 1 CONTINUE TO SUPPORT US IF YOU ARE ABLE TO
1) If you are able to do so, then please do like we have done with our re-investment plans and join us in taking a longer term view and continuing to support your club by carrying on paying your membership fees this month and also into February. We will then review the government's messaging and the likelihood of when we will be able to re-open next month and also the support we have been able to elicit from the energy providers, the bank and equipment finance companies, as well as what grant support packages may be open to us in the coming weeks.
Please forward your name, and contact details (ie home/mobile number please) to emma.mcquaide@altered-images.co.uk if you are able to support us so that we may be able to thank you for your wonderful gesture of support personally.
Option 2 FREEZE IF YOU NEED TO AND CONFIRM YOU STILL WANT TO STAY WITH US AFTER LOCKDOWN
2) For those of you who are not able to continue paying your membership fees for January & February, but who still want to be a part of the club when the national lockdown restrictions are lifted for COVID19 Secure gyms and health clubs like ours, then we do completely understand this and indeed we very much sympathize with your position as it is the one we have also been in for the last 10-months, though it certainly feels like much longer! We do not want to lose you as a member so please send us an email asking for a MEMBERSHIP FREEZE confirming your name, contact details, and your membership number (or your date of birth if m'ship number not know) to: emma.mcquaide@altered-images.co.uk and we will contact you to confirm a freeze of your payments, and your payments will only be re-started when you are happy and ready to return to using the club.
Option 3 CANCEL FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT WISH TO RETURN TO EXERCISE HERE AFTER LOCKDOWN 3.0
3) For those members who have had enough of lockdowns, or who face other personal challenges which will prevent them from returning to the gym, then please understand that we are truly sorry to see you leave the club and terminate your membership agreement with Altered Images. All our membership agreements require a month's notice to be given which can be done via email requesting a MEMBERSHIP TERMINATION confirming your name, contact details, and your membership number (or your date of birth if m'ship number not known) to: emma.mcquaide@altered-images.co.uk and we will contact you to confirm the details of your agreement being termnated.
We look forward to hearing back from each of you in the coming days via email and hope to see you all soon in person once the lockdown restrictions are eased.
Best regards
Paul & Emma
on behalf of the Trustees & Staff of BCL Altered Images Bromsgrove
