Our Oriam: Unlocked
Our team have been working hard behind the scenes and we have made a video to help guide you through some of the changes we’ve made ready to re-open as soon as we can!
We Are Ready To Unlock
Many of you will have heard the Scottish Government announcement yesterday outlining an indicative date of Monday 14h September for indoor sports courts and gyms to re-open. Oriam staff have been working extremely hard behind the scenes to get the facility ready to open in line with government guidelines and ensure we can operate safely and effectively. Over the coming weeks we will be revealing further information on what specific measures we have put in place and showing you how the facility will look on re-opening so you know what to expect on your first visit. Stay connected with us via our website, social media, or the new Our Oriam app. We can’t wait to unlock the doors and welcome you all back.
Members Update – July
We are excited to see you soon! Our team have been on furlough over the past few months, however we are now back and busy working behind the scenes to get things ready for your return.
We are delighted to share some initial details of how we are planning to welcome members and users back to our facilities in both a safe and responsible way, and in line with Government guidelines.
Customer Safety and Hygiene Standards
We will have strict social distancing and personal hygiene measures in place to ensure members, users and staff have a safe, clean and comfortable experience.
Our Oriam: Unlocked
We are working towards re-opening Oriam in August. As soon as the Government announces that indoor gyms and sports centres can re-open we will mobilise in line with that guidance. Our re-opening plan will be likely to include the following measures:
- One, pre-booked,60 minute gym session per member per day
- Bookable group exercises classes (limited daily offering available both indoors and outdoors)
- Bookable casual sport session, possible limited activities depending on government guidelines
- Please bring a pre-filled drinks bottle as water dispensers may not be available when we re-open.
Please note: Changing rooms and showers may not be available when the facility re-opens.
Opening Times
We will be adjusting our opening times and pre-booking your fitness sessions will be mandatory. This allows us to control the flow of people in and out the facility to keep you and our staff safe. Please refer to our website, or the new Our Oriam app, for changes in our opening times and any facility updates.
Membership Reinstatement
Please be assured we’ll be writing out to members to notify them when their membership will be unfrozen. We’ll also provide advance notice of when your direct debit payments will resume. This email is not your notice, just an update to keep you in the loop. Once your membership is unfrozen, you’ll be able to book activities and visit the facility immediately.
I’m not ready to return to Oriam just yet – what can I do?
That’s OK! We understand that returning to our facilities may not feel right for everybody yet. Members not ready to restart their membership yet have the option to keep their membership frozen for a further month. Information on this process will be sent to all members in the comings days.
I have cancelled my direct debit – can I re-join?
We are aware that some members may have cancelled their direct debit with their bank. Once we have re-opened the membership department will be available to help you get your direct debit reinstated and your membership back up and running again. You can email membership on membership@oriam.hw.ac.uk or call on 0131 451 8417.
Download Our Oriam App
During lock down we have been able to create and launch our brand new Our Oriam app. This is a great tool to be able to book the gym and classes and for members to keep up to date with Oriam facility news and updates. See image below for more details on how to download our app.
Things are moving quickly now at Oriam. We will continue to keep you updated via our website, social media channels and further email updates.
Stay safe and stay active.
Student Membership Refunds
Oriam have now had sign off from the University to process student membership refunds. We will be providing a refund for any live student membership at the time of the closure, from Friday 20th March. In discussion with the Sports Union we have agreed to refund memberships using a pro-rata calculation based on the number of teaching weeks lost due to the Covid-19 closure.
To ensure we can refund all members in a safe, secure and consistent manner we have created a secure and authenticated form which you can use to confirm the detail of the bank account that you would like the refund paid into.
Please ensure you request a refund using this form, this will be the only way student membership refunds will be accepted.
This form will officially close at midnight (GMT) on Thursday 30th July 2020. We will be unable to accept details for any further refunds after this date so please act now before it’s too late.
Important Information
- Please do not submit this form more than once.
- You can provide details for a UK or non-UK bank account however please be aware that payments to non-UK accounts may take longer to process. We, therefore, recommend using a UK bank account if possible.
- For UK bank accounts you will require your Student Number, the name of the Bank and your sort code and account number.
- For non-UK bank accounts, you will need some additional information:
- Postal address of Bank
- Your full name as it appears on your bank statement,
- Your home address (this must be the same address that the bank account is registered to)
- SWIFT code (or SWIFTBIC, as it’s sometimes known) of the Bank
- IBAN (International Bank Account Number) this is required for European countries only
- Routing number/clearing number or other information that may be required by your country (for non – EU countries)
- The currency of your bank account
- To ensure your refund can be processed please complete the form accurately. Incorrect information could delay or prevent your refund.
- You must provide your details using this form. We are not able to accept bank details provided by email or other means.
- Please check the comprehensive frequently asked question section below before contacting us directly.
- Due to our current remote working arrangements and the large number of refunds to be processed it may take us longer to reply to any direct contact so please refer to the FAQs below.
Why are we refunding in this way?
- We want to ensure that we can process all student membership refunds in a consistent manner. By requesting your bank account details through a secure and authenticated form, we can ensure that we deposit the refund into the correct bank account and provide a simple and secure way to refund all our student members.
Are my details secure?
- Yes, we are using an authenticated form with limited access. Once refunds are processed, the data collected will be deleted.
I do not want to use the form, can I just email you my details?
- Unfortunately, we cannot accept bank details sent via email. We can assure you that the authenticated form is a safe and secure way to share these details and will allow us to process your refund securely.
Do I need a UK Bank Account?
- No, you can provide details for a UK or non-UK Bank Account however please be aware that payments to non-UK Accounts may take longer to process. We therefore recommend using a UK Bank Account if possible.
How long does it take to complete the form?
- The form is easy and quick to complete.
- For UK bank accounts you will require your student number, the name of the Bank and your sort code and account number. For non-UK bank accounts, you will also need the postal address and the SWIFT code (or SWIFTBIC, as it’s sometimes known) of the Bank as well as the IBAN (International Bank Account Number) of the account.
What information is required to complete the form?
- For UK bank accounts you will require your student number, the name of the Bank and your sort code and account number.
- For non-UK bank accounts, you will need the following additional information:
- The complete postal address of Bank
- your full name as it appears on your bank statement,
- Your home address (this must be the same address that the bank account is registered to)
- SWIFT code (or SWIFTBIC, as it’s sometimes known) of the Bank
- IBAN (International Bank Account Number) this is required for European countries only
- Routing number/clearing number or other information that may be required by your country (for non – EU countries)
- The currency of your bank account
I have inputted incorrect information into the form. What happens now?
- The form can only be submitted once. If you have entered incorrect information please contact membership@oriam.hw.ac.uk
When should I expect to receive the refund after I have completed the form?
- Once the form closes on Thursday 30th July 2020 we will then aim to process all refunds around Friday 31 August 2020. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Can I be refunded sooner?
- To ensure a fair and consistent approach to student refunds we are unable to process individual refunds.
Can I request a refund when someone paid on my behalf?
- Yes. All students with a live Oriam membership can provide details no matter the method of payment.
I paid with cash, can I still be refunded this way?
- Yes. All students with a live Oriam membership can provide details no matter the method of payment.
How much will I be refunded?
In partnership with the Heriot-Watt Sports Union we have agreed student memberships will be refunded using a pro-rata calculation based on the number of teaching weeks lost due to the Covid-19 closure of Oriam.
The following refund amounts will be given:
Student Gold – £15.75
Student Silver – £13.25
Student Bronze Semester Two – £18.17
Will I receive a notification when my refund has been processed?
Yes, you will be emailed a BACS Remittance advice notice when payments have been processed.
I have a Staff, Community, Associate, Senior or other non-student membership, what happens now?
Thank you for your patience during this unprecedented period of uncertainty. We have been working hard behind the scenes to find the most effective solution to ensure that no member misses out due to our suspension of user activity in line with Government measures to contain the spread of Covid-19.
Non-student members who have an active Direct Debit membership.
The next DD payment that we were scheduled to collect was on 1 April 2020. This payment, and any further payments, will not be collected until we reopen. Your membership expiry date will be amended and any lost time (calculated from Friday 20 March) will be added. No action is required from you.
Non-student members who have paid upfront for their membership.
We have frozen all memberships and members will receive the equivalent time they have lost when we reopen. We will calculate this time lost from Friday 20 March. Your membership expiry date will be amended and no action is required from you.
Students inspire at Online Blues & Volunteers Ceremony
For many, COVID-19 has cleared the social calendar of end of season activity, graduations, grad balls, even concerts and holidays we may have been looking forward to. However, the Sports Union could not let a pandemic get in the way of celebrating the inspirational achievements of our athletes and the wonderful sense of belonging created by our volunteers, and so the first ever Sports Union Blues and Volunteers Ceremony was born, and we were live!
What was lost from face-to-face interaction was made up for in our largest ever attendance, with students and staff, past and present, coming together to look back on what made the 2019/20 academic year for sport at Heriot Watt. We heard words of encouragement from friends of the Sports Union and most importantly, celebrated our students.
The 2019/20 Executive Committee all contributed to our “SU – A Year in Review” video. We highlighted some of the great successes of our clubs, on and off the ‘field’, as well as national and international success amongst our Sport Scholars. We championed the individuals who opened up throughout mental health week to share their stories of overcoming challenges with the help of the Sports Union community.
Professor John Sawkins, Deputy Principal (Learning & Teaching), who has been a great support of the Sports Union, spoke of the parallels between sport and education, and how he has been able to engage with sport on campus through the Oriam Park Run.
“The education endeavour and sporting endeavour can and should go hand in hand, they are mutually supporting, not just whilst you are a student but through the whole of your life”
Professor John Sawkins, Deputy Principal (Learning & Teaching)
Our first award of the evening was the Duncan Murray Award, for Top Competitor in the Snowsports Club. Duncan Murray was a hugely well-known and loved character in the Snowsports Club but also in the wider Sports Union and is an extremely sad loss to our community. Since the tragic accident that took his life in 2009, Duncan’s family have been extremely supportive of the Sports Union and the Snowsports Club, funding members of the club to compete for the university. This year’s award goes to Club Captain, Calum Shepherd.
We then moved on to awarding seven Outstanding Sporting Achievements (OSAs). OSAs are awarded to a student who has not represented the University, and is therefore not eligible for a Blue, but has achieved a consistent and exceptional performance throughout the season. The award winners were:
The Steve Chapman Trophy for Top OSA, named after our former principal and instrumental figure in Heriot-Watt’s bid to build Oriam, was awarded to Lisa Aitken. Lisa has had a hugely successful year as Scotland No.1, achieving a career high world ranking of 35 and captaining Scotland to a top 4 finish in Europe for the first time in 15 year. She also broke the Guinness World Record for the “Longest Squash Rally” in July 2019, reaching 3,606 strokes in one hour 16 minutes which surpassed the previous record by 198 shots.
I hope that when we return to our sports and hobbies, we can take a second to appreciate how lucky we are.
Lisa Aitken, Steve Chapman Trophy
This year we had eleven Half Blue winners, awarded to students who have achieved a consistent and outstanding performance at a standard below that of a full Blue, as well as fourteen Full Blues awarded to students who have achieved a consistent and exceptional performance throughout the season normally culminating in SSS/BUCS representation, where applicable. Amongst these was Ben Rooney, who becomes only the third recipient of a Blue for Mountaineering this century! We were lucky enough to have been tell us all about how he achieved it on his trip to South America.
Since coming [to Heriot-Watt], I have been able to develop my own skills and pass them on to others. Seeing people going on their own adventures with the skills I have taught them is highly rewarding.
Ben Rooney, Heriot-Watt Mountaineering Club
The Neil Campbell Trophy for Top Blue, donated in memory of Professor Neil Campbell, a former member of the University’s Physical Recreation Committee, was awarded to David Cumberlidge. David, winning his 4th Blue in 5 years at Heriot-Watt. In the Summer of 2019, David travelled to the World University Games in Naples, where he won Gold, becoming only the 4th British male in history to swim the 50m freestyle in under 22 seconds, as well as achieving two gold medals at BUCS in the 50m & 100m freestyle.
I want to say a huge “thank you” to Heriot-Watt for all the help and support you’ve provided me throughout my degree. It is something I’ll never take for granted.
David Cumberlidge, Neil Campbell Trophy
Michael Webster, former Sports Union President and double Blue winner, made his ‘return’ to the Watt, to speak about life after University, the transferable skills he acquired from his time volunteering with the Sports Union, his upcoming career change, and how he recently took up marathon running.
Go out there, like you have done in the field of sport, and just compete against yourself on a daily basis.
Michael Webster, Former Sports Union President
The backbone of the Sports Union are the volunteers from across all 30+ clubs, who give up over 650 hours a week throughout each semester to facilitate engaging and active communities for a range of abilities, on and off campus. We recognise these contributions through our Bronze, Silver, Gold, Gold Plus, and Platinum Awards, all of which are recognised on the University Enhanced Transcript upon graduation.
The Len Burnett Trophy, in memory of a well-respected, former Sports Centre Assistant is awarded to the Platinum Award winner that has shown the most significant contribution to their club and/or the Sports Union during their time at university. The winner of the Len Burnett Trophy for 2019/20 is Lana Neish. Lana has been nothing short of exceptional in her role as Marketing & Communications Executive, alongside being Vice-President of the Cheerleading Club. She is a constant smiling face on campus, a smile which has welcomed countless students to Heriot-Watt and the Sports Union at Welcome Talks, Open Days as well as Freshers and Refreshers events.
I’ve had the most incredible time, amazing laughs, and I hope through my time as a volunteer, I’ve managed to bring that to some other people as well.
Lana Neish, Len Burnett Trophy
We closed the afternoon with some words from the Principal of the University, Professor Richard Williams, who thanked the contributions of the students, and spoke of the importance of Sport as we enter into a world after COVID.
Wellbeing and sport are going to be even more important than it was before, and I know you are all going to be amazing ambassadors for this.
Professor Richard Williams, Principal & Vice Chancellor
Many thanks to everyone who attended and congratulations to all of this year’s award winners.
Past crises help Oriam to keep going during coronavirus pandemic
NO organisation could possibly have been adequately prepared to deal with the ravaging effects of Covid-19 but at Oriam they have at least been able to call upon the knowledge gained during other challenging times.
“We’re actually fairly experienced when it comes to crisis mode,” says Ross Campbell, executive director at Scotland’s sports performance centre.
“In 2016 we opened a brand new national facility while still running all our existing facilities. Then in 2018 we had to deal with the Beast from the East, and then last year one of our old buildings flooded. And now this year it’s Covid-19.
Read full article here: https://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/18485427.past-crises-help-oriam-keep-going-coronavirus-pandemic/
Our Oriam| May Update
Spring is here and we hope you have been making the most of the sunshine on your daily exercise! We just wanted to update you on a few changes to how our teams are working and some fresh resources to help you stay healthy and happy during lockdown.
Our Oriam: At Home
We want to help you stay happy and healthy whilst we are closed so we now have two sources for workout ideas. our My Wellness App has a fresh ‘workout of the day’ everyday and our youtube channel now has all of our exercise clips available to use any time.
There are a fantastic amount of online resources now available to us for health and wellbeing at home. To help you find them all, we now have a resources directory page on our website with a range of tried and tested resources from our Partner groups and ourselves.
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Try out our exercises on our Youtube channel
Oriam: News
The Oriam Vision is to inspire and motivate our communities through the facilities we provide and the interactions we have with our customers. To hlep us ensure that we can continue to deliver this vision in the future, and get through these uncertain times, a number of our staff will be going onto furlough.
They have all done a power of work recently and they will be eager to come back fresh and energised when we are in a position to re-open the facilty. Some of our staff will stay on to deliver essential business and will of course be working from home. Over the coming weeks we wil have a reduced work capacity so please be patient if you are contacting us. As soon as we are ale to safely do so the staff will be brought back and we will begin a facility re-mobilisation plan in order to ensure a smooth transition back into operation.
For urgent enquiries please direct your email to hello@oriam.hw.ac.uk
STUDENT NEWS
Talent Development Programme (TDP) Applications now Open.
The TDP is delivered in partnership by Heriot-Watt University Sports Union and Oriam, on behalf of the University, and applications for scholars for the upcoming academic year (2020/21) are now open.
The TDP provides support for athletes to balance their study and sporting commitments, allowing them the opportunity to achieve in both. Over the years, The TDP has supported a number of notable athletes, most recently with Lisa Aitken (Squash), Seonaid McIntosh (Shooting), David Cumberlidge (Swimming) as well as Lisa Kearney & Steph Inglis (Judo), to name but a few. Many of the aforementioned athletes have national and international honours to their name competing in European, World, Commonwealth & Olympic levels. While the programme helps athletes such as this through academic flexibility and funding, it also supports developing athletes aspiring to reach that level with strength and conditioning and nutrition support.
Support while you study
We work in line with national governing bodies to create a competitive and challenging training environment for the development of our scholars.
Successful applicants can benefit from a wide range of support & development services available during their time at Heriot-Watt. These include:
-Academic flexibility
– Funding
– Facility membership
– Access to key sport science staff & services.
Criteria for entry
The following criteria should be met during the initial application:
– Athletes who have been competing at a national age grade level (or above) are encouraged to apply.
– Applications from athletes whose sport is represented by a club at Heriot-Watt are preferred.
– Athletes will be nominated by their respective national governing body performance coach (or equivalent), having already shown the necessary commitment to developing their talent.
Support is also available to athletes who are competing at Commonwealth, World and Olympic standard to balance their training and study. Individuals who meet this criteria will already be involved in a performance programme within their respective national governing body.
Athletes who are currently supported by the SportScotland Institute of Sport are also encouraged to apply.
Application Process
Application are open and made through the following online form: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/NKYSPX5
Applications will close on 31 May, for entry into the following September (Semester 1 of the academic year).
If you have any queries about the programme please contact Chris Sellar on c.sellar@hw.ac.uk
Our Oriam|Your Fun
At Oriam we have a thriving walking sports community, with regular training sessions for both walking football and walking netball!
One of the regular walking football members has created a poem about the group and wanted to share it with everyone. The group are passing the time in good spirits whilst they wait for their sessions to restart.
Walking Fitba by Thomson (Thomo) Bruce
Every week we gather in Oriam to play
Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 12.30 midday
Walking Football , a part of the beautiful game
We have all ages, but we are all the same
To kick a ba’ again is something special
Our aim not to burst a blooming blood vessel
Three touches o’ the ba’ is all yer allowed
Otherwise yer goal could be disallowed
And woe betide ye if ye run
Cos Ewan will be waiting with a smoking gun
Dwell on the ball and it could be fatal
Big Bruce will get ye, he’s a wee bit unstable (only kidding Bruce)
I must mention Jimmy Dyce, aff the park he’s quite nice
But make a mistake and you pay the price
Jimmy’s mistakes are awfy rare
But you make wan then its the death stare
Willie Lumsden on the ball pirouetting all game
And his pal Dougie, they are just the same
Davie Walkinshaw striker supreme, quite fast
But dinnae ask him fur a pass
So many players too many to mention
Most of them are drawing their pension
If there’s no mention don’t take offence
You are all valued players of influence
So 12 weeks we have to wait for another game
It’s this coronavirus we have to blame
God knows what our fitness will be like
Have to get on those exercise bikes
Meanwhile 12 weeks of Whatsapp to entertain
Canne wait tae get back tae the Fitba again
We want to hear from you too! If you have any ideas or achievements you would like to share with us then get in touch. Use the #OurOriam hashtag or tag us @OriamScotland on social media. Alternatively you can email us at membership@oriam.hw.ac.uk
Our Oriam|At Home
Oriam at it’s core, aims to inspire and support our communities in sport, health & fitness and we won’t let a lockdown get in the way! Whilst our facilities are temporarily closed we will continue to provide a range of resources online to help our members and wider community stay active and healthy.
Daily Workouts
In partnership with Technogym we can now offer daily home workouts available on our My Wellness App We have over a month’s worth of new workouts ready to go and the day’s workout can be accessed anytime via the app!
Our daily workouts:
All workouts require little to no equipment, designed to do at home.
3 different difficulty levels – Easy, Medium and Pro
Scheduled on a 4 day rotation – 4 days Easy, 4 days Medium, 4 days Pro
Each workout includes between 4 – 8 exercises and lasts between 20 – 40 minutes
How do I access the daily Workouts?
If you’re unsure of where to find the new daily workouts here’s a quick guide. If you have used the app at Oriam already, skip to step 6.
On your devise go to your app store (apple app store, google play store etc)
In the search bar type ‘my wellness’, it should appear as one of the top results.
Select the app and download.
Once Downloaded, open the app and it will prompt you to create an account. You can also create or edit an account online here
Add in your details and select Oriam as your venue/location.
On your home tab the daily workout should appear at the top. There are plenty of other workout plans and you can even create your own too! Once you set Oriam as your location you will have access to a wide range of workout options and you can link up many other fitness trackers or apps too.
We want to hear from you too! If you have any ideas or achievements you would like to share with us then get in touch. Use the #OurOriam hashtag or tag us @OriamScotland on social media. Alternatively you can email us at membership@oriam.hw.ac.uk
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