The SHINE exercise programme for over 55s is ‘not closing’ Wokingham Borough Council has insisted – although subscription to the scheme is set to be replaced by premium gym membership.

Wokingham Borough Council announced on Monday, March 4, that it is to hand its SHINE exercise classes to Places Leisure, which runs the council’s leisure centres.

It said this was because membership of the scheme had dropped since the pandemic, and because it had had ‘challenges’ recruiting instructors.

The announcement also comes after councillors approved plans to save £120,000 over the next 12 months by ‘remodelling’ its leisure services.

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Councillor Ian Shenton, responsible for leisure, said SHINE classes would be ‘integrated’ into Places Leisure’s ‘existing concessionary offer'.

He said it would mean residents would ‘pay less’ and ‘get a lot more choice about how they can exercise across the six leisure centres in the borough'.

However, some costs will increase for people aged between 55 and 64. Under the SHINE scheme, Wokingham residents aged over 55 were able to pay £46 for a block of 10 exercise classes.

Now class-goers who want to pay in advance will have to pay for an Everyone Active premium membership, while SHINE subscription credits will be refunded this month.

Everyone Active’s premium memberships start from £40 a month for people 65 and over, or £44 a month for under 65s.

People transferring from the SHINE scheme will not have to pay joining fees.

Pay-as-you-go options will still exist, starting from £4.85 for group classes for over 65s. That’s cheaper than SHINE’s pay-as-you-go rate, which is £5.60.

But for SHINE customers aged between 55 and 64, Everyone Active’s pay-as-you-go rate is more expensive – at £8.75 per class.

Wokingham Borough Council’s announcement said the arrangement will be ‘better value for money’ as Everyone Active premium membership gives access to more exercise classes and facilities.

The council’s announcement also said that anyone with existing SHINE credits can contact its sports and leisure team for a refund.

It said: “This can be done whether you are planning to join as a Places Leisure member immediately, or if you would prefer to wait for the SHINE classes to stop running in March.”

In a statement, the council told the News: “The SHINE Programme is not stopping. It is being transferred to the council’s leisure provider with some classes being moved to the council’s Active Aging programme.

“The SHINE classes have been added to Places Leisure’s group exercise timetable, and the number of classes available has increased.”

Wokingham Borough Council did not confirm whether the move is part of its plan to save £120,000 by ‘remodelling’ its leisure services. This was approved as part of the council’s budget last month.

But it did say it is ‘aligning its leisure services to local demand and to offer a wide variety of options for our residents'.