DESPITE the temporary closure of their buildings, Wiltshire Council’s leisure, library, heritage and arts services are continuing to support thousands of residents.
The library’s e-service saw more than 4,596 eMagazines checked out in March, with another 7,046 in April – the highest monthly figures since the service was introduced in February 2018.
The service’s rhyme time and story videos also continue to be popular with families, with more than 44,000 views so far and counting.
Wiltshire Council’s leisure service’s social media channels have seen a recent 93% increase in page views, while nearly 8,000 residents have accessed the recently created swim, gym, walking sports, ability sports and Healthier Communities activity packs. There has also been more than 10,000 views of specially made fitness videos.
The Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre has also seen more than 10,000 visits to its Facebook page on the day that free ancestry resources were promoted, keeping residents informed and connected to Wiltshire’s history.
3,650 calls have also been made to the more older and vulnerable members of Active Health, Get Wiltshire Walking, senior leisure centre members and libraries to check they’re ok at this difficult time.
Cabinet Member for Communities and Leisure, Cllr Allison Bucknell said: “Our teams have been coming up with so many creative and fun ideas to keep our communities engaged and connected and we’ve been delighted with the response.
“Our leisure, library, heritage and arts services are part of many people’s way of life and we’ll do what we can to still be there for them, even if our buildings are currently closed.”
The council has developed an online Active Communities resource page to support people during this difficult time. The resource page covers a variety of topics, including opportunities for people to be active and exercise, the various library services available online – rhyme times, story times, e-books/magazines, resources on getting creative through mediums like song, dance, art and literature and opportunities to explore Wiltshire’s history. The complete list of resources can be found at http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/leisure-active-communities.
