London Pools Campaign: news from the campaign for London's pools

No more design cuts to Zaha's Aquatic Centre says ODA chief

"The chief executive of the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has pledged not to scale back designs on Zaha Hadid’s Aquatic Centre.

(Via No more design cuts to Zaha's Aquatic Centre says ODA chief)

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New Pools for Hillingdon omit diving

Nowadays diving for some means controlled and tutored 'flip-n-fun' at half-term with no prospect of progression to a board. Water-polo can be reduced to endless school holiday mini polo sessions in three lanes of the pool and requests for pool-time for weekly synchro sessions are met with laughter, openly. Hopefully all these initiatives aren't record-free child-care dressed up as 'participation' lacking any semblance of a progression-pathway.

When new sport-funded facilities come online without even the chance of a retro-fitted diving facility being possible as at the 'filled-in' London Fields Lido and now at Hillingdon we despair. Could it be that the private leisure companies, increasingly in charge of sport and leisure, are unwilling to staff such facilities.

The worst element is that down the line the next legion of councillors, sport professionals and administrators will, as usual, blame the very people that fought for and were denied the facilities people deserve.

The main eyecatcher in the article is of a diver yet the new super pool does not appear to have any diving facility....or waterpolo...... or synchro..... What a shame another chance lost.

Here is the best document we know of for demonstrating the plight of diving in the capital city of the fourth wealthiest nation on earth [LINK]

here is the document produced by a department in Hillingdon's press office who just somehow assumed that diving would again return to their fair borough [LINK] ...more ---> ...

Diving Group At Risk Of Going Under (from Croydon Guardian)

"A diving group is at risk of folding after asbestos found at its training pool forced its closure.

Crystal Palace Diving Institute has lost £30,000 in fees since the National Sports Centre in Crystal Palace Park closed on September 14.

The centre was due to close for refurbishment on December 1 until next summer and the institute had contingency plans in place to allow divers to continue their training.

However, the sudden closure has put the institute under threat, as it relies on fees from the 400 youngsters who train there to meet running costs."

(Via Diving Group At Risk Of Going Under (from Croydon Guardian): .)

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400-mile trip just to train to dive

"A girl of 13 tipped to win a diving gold medal in the 2012 Olympic Games is being forced to do a 400- mile weekly trip to train.

National champion Jessica Williams's nearest competition-sized pool with a 10-metre high board closed due to asbestos.

Now her family have to drive her from Erith, Kent, to Sheffield, South Yorks, every Friday after school.

And they pay £2,000 a month for accommodation for Jessica and her coach."

(Via 400-mile trip just to train - Top Stories - News - Mirror.co.uk: .)

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