Carrickfergus Amphitheatre - Autism guide

My Visit to

Carrickfergus Amphitheatre

AUTISM FRIENDLY MEA 1 | My Visit to Carrickfergus Amphitheatre

Welcome to Carrickfergus Amphitheatre Everyone feels different when visiting a new place or trying something new. There are new sounds and smells, and you may not know what to expect.

This guide will help you get ready for your trip. It will: • Tell you how to get to and enter Carrickfergus Amphitheatre.

• Introduce you to some of the people who work here.

• Explain how to find your way around.

• Show you some of the things that you can do when you visit.

We are here to help Here are some of the staff you might meet on your visit.

They are our Autism Champions. You can ask them, or any of the staff in this uniform, for help while you are with us.

Gemma Brown MEA Active Coach

Emma McCabe Leisure Centre Manager

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Colin Roden Sports Development Officer

Help Keep #OurMEA Safe

Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, we have all had to make adjustments to what we do in public places.

If government guidelines allow, we will keep this leisure centre open so that people can keep fit and active. However, you may still have to keep 2m social distance, wash your hands regularly, and wear a face mask unless you are exempt.

We expect these rules to be in place for a longer time. It might be annoying, or it might feel strange, but it also means you can relax in the knowledge that we are making the leisure centre as safe as we can for everyone to enjoy.

20 SECS

Wash hands

Cover face

Thank you for your cooperation.

Make space

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Getting to Carrickfergus Amphitheatre A2

Carrickfergus Amphitheatre North Road

Fisherman’s Quay

Albert Road Carrickfergus Castle

A2

Carrickfergus Marina

Carrickfergus Amphitheatre is located a short distance from the town centre. It is just off the A2 Shore Road at Carrickfergus Castle.

There is a large car park and a bike stand beside the entrance for cyclists to use.

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Arriving at Carrickfergus Amphitheatre

This is the walkway that will take you into Carrickfergus Amphitheatre.

When you enter, you will be on Level Two in the Reception area.

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Finding Your Way Around The Amphitheatre is on three floors. These are colour-coded on the map below, and throughout this guide.

LEVEL ONE Main sports hall, Concordia suite, Kinesis suite, Ludo soft play area.

LEVEL TWO Entrance, reception, café, changing rooms, swimming pools, squash courts and Amplio studio.

LEVEL THREE Spa, Gymnasium There are staircases, ramps and lifts to help you get a round the different parts of the building. There is plenty of signage and staff will always be happy to help you find your way.

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The Reception Area LEVEL TWO

You might need to check in or buy a ticket for an activity. At busy times, there may be a queue.

It might be crowded and noisy but other spaces will be quieter.

Our staff are friendly and can help you with your visit.

At the Reception area, you will also find toilets, the Pi café and a lift. The café can be noisy and can have strong cooking smells.

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From the Reception area, you will go to a different area of the centre depending on what activity you are going to take part in.

Swimming Changing Area LEVEL TWO

The hallway opposite reception leads to the swimming pool changing rooms.

There are male, female, disability and group changing facilities.

Sometimes there can be a strong smell of water and cleaning chemicals.

This area can be noisy if it is busy.

Staff can be washing the floors to keep it clean.

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Swimming Pool Area LEVEL TWO

This is the swimming pool area.

There are two pools - a learner pool and a main pool.

It is a great place to have fun, but it can be busy, and full of laughter, splashing and tannoy announcements.

There can be a strong smell of water and chemicals that help keep the area clean.

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There are lifeguards on duty to keep everyone safe. Sometimes they can blow a whistle to get a swimmer’s attention.

There are also rules to follow to make sure no one slips, or gets into trouble in the water. These are on the next page.

Swimming pool rules

4

We hope that enjoy your swimming experience and ask that you follow our rules:

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Other Things To Do On Level Two LEVEL TWO

You can play squash in our squash courts.

Squash courts may have loud echo from ball bouncing and participants shouting.

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You can take an exercise class in our studio. This could be a spin class or martial arts.

There may be loud music being played during spin classes.

Getting to Level One LEVEL ONE

To get down to Level One, you can take the stairs or the lift.

On Level One, you will find a conference room, a soft play area, the Kinesis suite, and a main sports hall.

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You will see doors into different rooms, and some vending machines.

The Concordia Suite LEVEL ONE

This is a big room where you can have meetings, birthday parties and martial arts classes.

You may hear loud noises in this room and the ceiling is quite low.

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Ludo Soft Play LEVEL ONE

This is our soft play area. It is for children. It is a brilliant place to play.

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At busy times, it can be full of noises such as laughing children, crying babies and people shouting loudly.

Kinesis Suite LEVEL ONE

This is an inclusive gym with equipment to let people in wheelchairs and other disabilities access the gym. This room is generally quieter than the gym on Level Two. 14 | My Visit to Carrickfergus Amphitheatre

Main Hall/ Badminton Courts LEVEL ONE

This is our main hall where you can play different sports such as badminton and football. If there are a lot of people participating, it can be noisy. But it is a great space to have fun and get active with others.

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Gymnasium LEVEL THREE

On Level Three, you will find the gym and a spa. You can get here by taking the stairs or the lift.

This is the entrance to the gym. You have to push the bars on the turnstile to make it turn.

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Inside the Gymnasium LEVEL THREE

The gym has a lot of equipment where you can work out.

To help people keep motivated, there is loud music playing.

We run quiet sessions where there is no music playing.

There might be other users you don’t know.

Please contact the centre if you would like to book in for an induction to the gym.

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The Spa LEVEL THREE

This is the entrance to the spa. The spa is for adults only, where they can relax and enjoy the steam room, sauna and jacuzzi.

The soothing effect of the warm water and hot tub jets creates bubbles that may help relieve physical, emotional and mental stress.

The spa area is generally quiet and relaxing. When entering the spa or sauna, expect other people to be in this area and already using these facilities.

You may also expect that others might join you if you are already in on your own.

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Useful Information We are committed to welcoming everyone to Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s facilities.

As well as producing this guide, we have signage in place around the building to help people with a range of needs find their way around.

We also run accessible classes and sessions for individuals with additional needs or disabilities, and for those who would prefer a quieter time to enjoy the centre.

For more details, please ask a member of staff.

Fire alarms If a fire alarm sounds, please make your way to the nearest fire exit. Staff will be there to help you.

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Opening/Closing Times Monday

1pm – 8pm

Tuesday

9am – 4pm

Wednesday

1pm – 8pm

Thursday

9am – 4pm

Friday

1pm – 8pm

Saturday

10am – 3pm

Sunday

12noon – 4pm

These are our normal operating hours. To check if they are different due to Covid-19, please visit our website.

Contact Details Amphitheatre Wellness Centre Prince William Way, Carrickfergus BT38 7HP T: 028 9335 8342 E: MEActive@midandeastantrim.gov.uk www.midandeastantrim.gov.uk/Amphitheatre

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Thank you for reading our guide.

We are looking forward to seeing you soon.

During your visit to Carrickfergus Amphitheatre if you have any questions about ANY part of our facilities or your experience there, please ask to speak to either the Duty Manager or one of the Autism Champions, who are pictured in the front of this guide.

All staff will be able to assist you while in the building or using any of the facilities if required.

If you have any suggestions for improvement, again please ask to speak to either the Duty Manager or one of the Autism Champions.

We hope this guide helps you prepare for your visit, helps you find your way around during your visit and makes it easier for you to enjoy your time with us

AUTISM FRIENDLY MEA 21 | My Visit to Carrickfergus Amphitheatre