movemanSKG Platform Lift Fits The Bill At New Leisure Club

Leicester-based movemanSKG has recently installed a platform lift from its popular Companion range at a new health club in Edinburgh. Opened in July 2002, Westwoods Health Club is situated in the picturesque grounds of Fettes College, on the edge of the city centre. As well as providing private members with a wide range of health and fitness facilities, Westwoods is also a base for the colleges sporting activities. As one of Scotland's leading independent schools, Fettes College includes many leading figures from the fields of politics, industry and entertainment amongst its former pupils.

Westwoods' philosophy is simple. It aims to help its members to make the most of the superb facilities, whatever their motives. From the outset, the club has actively encouraged members with disabilities and provides fully for their special needs. For example, there are ample disabled parking spaces, conveniently located adjacent to the main entrance. The changing areas have the latest provisions to enable the less able to prepare for their exercise in comfort and privacy and the swimming pool is equipped with specialist hoists to enable disabled access.

The clubs impressive list of facilities includes a 25-metre swimming pool, sauna and steam room, a sports hall, a creche, a brassiere and a licensed bar. The layout of the club is somewhat unusual with the fitness suite, aerobics studio and viewing galleries, for the pool and sports hall, on the ground floor. The swimming pool and sports hall are on the lower ground floor. These areas are equally accessible to the less able thanks to the installation of the movemanSKG Prestige platform lift.

The lift travel between the two floors is 3.6 metres. Its lifting platform measures 1500 x 1100mm and can carry a load of 400kg, more than enough to allow a wheelchair user and attendant to use the lift together to access the lower ground floor facilities. It is finished with fully glazed doors that open automatically when the lift is summoned or when it comes to a stop at either ground floor.

The health club is also used by pupils from the college. So the Prestige is fitted with a special feature, called Designated User Control (DUC). Developed specifically for educational establishments, DUC prevents unauthorised use and stops children from playing in the lift. In essence the lift isolates itself, by moving away from the landing it was parked at, after a preset period of inactivity, and stops between floors. This activates the automatic door interlocks making the unit totally secure. A key is required to reactivate the lift before it can be summoned.

Wendy Orr, Westwoods' General Manager is delighted with the lifts performance. "As well as the clubs excellent health and leisure facilities, we have a tremendous sports injury treatment and medical rehabilitation centre, which is used by Edinburgh Universities fitness assessment and sports injury clinic." She comments. " The lift, therefore, is available to two groups of people. Our disabled members can get to any part of the club. It is also used extensively by seriously injured people using our amenities as part of their rehab programmes. The Prestige is really easy to use and we can control access to it by only distributing the keys to authorised users."