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

Plans To Give Lido Major Facelift (from News Shopper)

"A LIDO could undergo a huge facelift and a new deep diving centre could be built under plans to go before Greenwich Council next week.

Planning permission is being sought to renovate Charlton Lido, Hornfair Park, Shooters Hill Road, and build a diving facility - described as the only one of its kind in the country.

The move by Open Waters Ltd would secure the future of the popular open-air pool, built in 1939, which is badly in need of work.

In the summer of 2004, it was forced to close due to health and safety fears and repeated vandalism, but reopened after pressure from angry swimmers.

The plans would see the existing lido refurbished with new toilets, changing and shower room facilities, a diving shop and a cafe.

A three-storey building would be constructed alongside it, boasting an indoor 35m-deep diving centre, a gym, a club room, teaching space and a manager's flat."

(Via Plans To Give Lido Major Facelift (from News Shopper): .)

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From dips to deaths ... shop around to find the best council deals

"If you are a pensioner and you want a free swim in London, choose a pool in Brent, Islington, Lambeth, Lewisham and Westminster and it won't cost a penny. If you are over 60 and still can't swim and want to learn, instruction is also free in Westminster and Lambeth. But avoid going to Bromley - where it is £3 a time and £10.20 an hour for swimming instruction or Richmond on Thames where it is £3.50 a session.
Outside the capital pensioners can only swim free in the Wirral and Wigan in England but have a much better choice in Wales. Here pensioners are not charged in Blaenau Gwent, Conwy, Ynys Mon (Anglesey), Powys, Rhondda, and Torfaen. ..."
So the answer seems to be keep fit and enjoying swimming in Westminster but move to Nottinghamshire when you think you are about to die. Figures are all supplied by the Chartered Institute of Public Acountancy.

(Via From dips to deaths ... shop around to find the best council deals | Society | Society Guardian: .)

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Single Sex Swimming, Religious Minorities and Anti-Discrimination

The comments with this article include some absolute gems.

'This morning, my wife, five year old son and I thought it might be nice to go swimming in the newly re-opened local swimming pool, Clissold Leisure Centre. We got to the pool at 10.30, to be told that:

- the main pool was too deep to be safe for a five year old;

- the 'training' pool was women only between 10.45 and 12.30 every Sunday;

I got angry. I nearly swore. I rarely get angry at people who are doing no more than implementing a policy, because it isn't fair on them. I apologised.

Not to worry, we thought. I'll go in the main pool. My wife and son will go to the training pool. However, that was not permitted. My son, being of the male gender, was not allowed in a women-only swimming session.

I asked why this policy had been put in place, in a way which prevented families swimming together, at a peak time, on the one day of the week during which both mothers and fathers were likely to be doing family things. What reason was there for barring very little male children from the training pool? Why schedule the single-gender swimming session right in the middle of the morning, so that families which arrived at (say) 10.15 would only have half an hour before they were chucked out? Why not schedule it for early in the morning or late in the evening, or on a week day?

Apparently, the policy had been set by Hackney's Equal Opportunities officer. However, there was a paddling pool open at 11 in which he would be allowed to splash around. No use for learning to swim, we discovered when we got there. The pool was absolutely filled with families with toddlers, many of whom had been chucked out of the training pool in order to make way for the women only swimming session. They stood around for 10 minutes, dripping in the corridor, before the paddling pool was finally open.

While in the paddling pool, I met a woman whose husband was a Hackney councillor. She was also rather angry. I suggested that this was a classic example of an equal opportunities officer trying to cater to an illusory problem, and in doing so, simply feeding the xenophobic prejudices peddled by the Daily Mail.

Apparently not, she said. There were fierce battles in Hackney Council over the issue. The main movers for prime time single sex swimming were the Hassidic jews. She was not racist, she stressed: but they had the advantage of being able to run an effective community-based letter-writing campaign, and of organising politically around the issue.'

(Via Harry's Place Single Sex Swimming, Religious Minorities and Anti-Discrimination: .)

(Via Clissold Leisure Users' News Single Sex Swimming, Religious Minorities and Anti-Discrimination: .)

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The recovery of John Deeks, who was once pronounced 'clinically dead'

"After a swimming accident, John Deeks was reportedly 'clinically dead' for between 40 and 60 minutes. Yet, after a few days in hospital, he has made a full recovery. How is this physically possible, asks Alice Wignall "

(Via Alice Wignall on the recovery of John Deeks, who was once pronounced 'clinically dead' | The Guardian | Guardian Unlimited: .)

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