Sport & Exercise

Open to EveryBody

University of Edinburgh Sport & Exercise is proud to be open to everybody and is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming community environment for all.

Our Values

  • We are Open to Everybody -  we are welcoming, fair and equal
  • We believe Anything is Possible - we are innovative and aspirational
  • We Enable Excellence - we are professional, supportive and are committed to continuous improvement

How we live our values in everything we do?

Everybody at Sport & Exercise is committed to "living our values" every day. How do we ensure that we are Open to Everybody?

  • Greet everyone with a smile
  • Make eye contact and engage positively with customers and each other
  • Be honest and enthusiastic
  • Listen and take action
  • Combat prejudice and celebrate diversity
  • Challenge unacceptable behaviour
  • Treat everybody with dignity and respect

We are committed to making our services and facilities accessible to everybody with an open armed invitation that makes people feel welcome.

University Trans Equality Policy Statement

We are committed to The University Trans Equality Policy – the full details of which you can find here https://www.ed.ac.uk/files/atoms/files/trans_equality_policy.pdf

As part of its wider Equality and Diversity strategy the University is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming community, where staff and students are enabled to meet their full potential and are treated with dignity and respect. 

This includes providing support and understanding to those individuals who wish to take, or have taken, steps to present themselves in a gender different to their gender assigned at birth. The University recognises that this can be a very difficult and complex time for an individual and would wish to act in a sensitive and supportive way by having helpful policies and practices in place to ease any transitional period.

We fully recognise our legal responsibility to protect the rights of transgender people and to ensure that no individual is subject to discrimination or victimisation as a result of the gender in which they present themselves.

Use of single sex facilities

Sport & Exercise offers a number of changing facilities at our different sites

  • Pleasance Sport Complex and Gym - both single sex and gender-neutral changing facilities.
  • Peffermill Playing Fields -  changing rooms that are assigned on demand
  • St Leonard’s Swimming Pool -  shared shower block, individual cubicle changing facilities and single sex changing
  • St Leonard’s Gyms - single sex toilets and changing rooms  (under review)
  • Easter Bush - single sex changing rooms and gender neutral cubical changing facilities
  • Firbush - single sex toilets and changing rooms (under review)

So we can best meet the needs and expectations of those in transition we would ask individuals to contact us at sportscentre@ed.ac.uk as part of their transition plan. We can then agree which changing and toilet facilities are the most suitable/appropriate, recognising that an individual’s needs may change over time.