London Pools Campaign: press and publicity

Get girls off sofa and into sport says Dame Kelly Holmes in the The Sun

webteam — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 17:18:15 GMT

Not sure where Dame Kelly is getting her stats but we thought even more than 6 out of 10 did little more than stroll around Topshop. The Prime Minister agrees with her - read it here.

"Recent research showed that by the age of 18 four out of ten girls in Britain have stopped doing any kind of sport.

Dame Kelly, 37, is determined to do something about it. Since retiring from athletics, she has become National School Sport Champion and has been working with insurance company Norwich Union to promote sport to girls and nurture young female athletes."

(Via Get girls off sofa and into sport | Dame Kelly Holmes | The Sun |HomePage|News: .)

A public and private affair - (Daily Telegraph Letters)

webteam — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 23:06:39 GMT

From The Daily Telegraph Sports Letters pages.

"Sir - Sally Wainman is right when she says that Sport England have appointed a commercial director with a brief to secure partnership funding from the private sector for community sport (Letters, Nov 2). This does not signal, however, the end of public provision as we know it. In fact, making sure community sport remains affordable to all is one of our priorities.

Bringing the private sector on board to help us create better opportunities for people to take part in sport is something we need to do better. We make no apologies for looking beyond the public purse to take the benefits of sport to a wider audience.

We will continue to invest the public and Lottery money at our disposal wisely. The last month has seen a 50-metre pool open in Leeds and plans unveiled for one in Hillingdon, London - both benefiting from Sport England Lottery funding. Since 2004, there has been a net increase in the number of swimming pools in England.

Our ambition is to get two million doing more sport by 2012. It can only be delivered by a true partnership between public and private sectors. (no mention of the community, voluntary or not-for-profit sector?, Ed)

Derek Mapp
Chairman, Sport England "

(Via Daily Telegraph Letters to the Sports Editor - Telegraph: .)

Letters to the Sports Editor - Daily Telegraph

webteam — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 17:34:19 GMT

The letters page of the Daily Telegraph has carried responses to Kate Hoey's article about lack of pools and the Government's and local authorities' anti-obesity posturing. There seems to be a belief that the sport, the recreation and its facilities are being rapidly privatised by a 'cartel' of facility owners, governing bodies, and private companies for the benefit of fee-paying adults. [LINK]

There are letters from Sally Wainman ...

"New Labour has successfully created a climate where local councils can state quite directly that "it is not their job to provide pools" and close them without further ado: Harlech Pool is the latest victim, with Gwynedd Council stating that a "major electrical fault" (broken light bulb?) means the pool is closed indefinitely, while they review their entire sport and leisure provision." [LINK]

and Brenda Humphreys ...

"Sadly, we are now seeing a massive decline in children being given the opportunity to learn to swim due to the many closures of school pools and local authority pools. In our own championships, it is the independent schools who dominate because these schools are blessed with their own pools." [LINK]

(Via The Daily Telegraph - Letters to the Sports Editor - Telegraph: .)

Obesity policy can either sink or swim - Kate Hoey in the Telegraph

webteam — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 21:06:03 GMT

After you read the linked article you may want to read the Commons debate of the Foresight Review of Obesity Report and here is the report itself.

"One of the easiest and most enjoyable forms of taking exercise is swimming and yet all over the country public swimming pools are still closing down. A few are being replaced, but usually with a smaller pool, and many of the old swimming baths with two pools have ended up with just one.

Yet, according to the Government's own strategy report on sport, swimming has the third highest retention rate in terms of post-teenage activity – and thus an important recreational activity to combat obesity. So you would think that swimming in schools would be encouraged.

Yet in my own area of London, Stockwell Park School, which already has a 25 metre swimming pool, is going to be totally rebuilt with money from the Building Schools for the Future fund – minus its pool. To the surprise of the community Lambeth Council says the government guidelines don't specify a swimming pool as being necessary and there isn't enough money. Schools Minister Jim Knight in a written answer to me said that it is up to the local authority to decide whether to replace the pool."

(Via The Daily Telegraph Obesity policy can either sink or swim: .)

Go straight to the comments on her article and have your say.

Swimmers Portraits - view our gallery

webteam — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 20:08:37 GMT

The Swimmers Portraits project is to help raise awareness for London Pools Campaign. The ongoing project aims to represent the wide diversity of swimmers in London & help demonstrate why it is so important to keep pools 'alive' in London.

The project is a collaboration between photographer Emma Critchley and water movement artist Sophie Lewis. Waterbabies themselves, both are passionate about exploring why people love being in water. If you wish to help support London Pools Campaign and would like to have your portrait taken for the project please email Emma or Sophie. Shoots are held in various pools throughout London on a bi-monthly basis.

Comment is free: Shopping or nothing

webteam — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 04:44:39 GMT

"Leisure centres are on the decline but new malls are at the heart of every urban plan. Is it any wonder the British spend so frantically?

The British brand of turbo-consumerism knows no bounds. Interest rates may have reached a six-and-a-half-year high, but plucky shoppers have carried on spending regardless. Retail figures for June have confounded forecasters, rising as it has to 3% on the previous year. Consumer credit agencies are warning that borrowers, far from tightening their belts, are taking out more credit to maintain their disposab"

(Via Comment is free: Shopping or nothing: .)

EasyJet Inflight June 2007 promotes outdoor swimming in London

webteam — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 19:25:03 GMT

"If you're craving an escape from the mean streets of the city but don't want to leave town, head for one of London's lidos
Feel the rays of sun on your body as you push off from the side, hear the breeze tickling the leaves in the trees, see the sunlight dance on the water. These open-air swimming pools are an invaluable space for city folk. Bathing outdoors is "invigorating, life-affirming and gives you an enormous buzz," says open-air swimming enthusiast Monica Willett."

(Via easyJet Inflight June 2007: .)

Beyonce Knowles in a swimming pool

webteam — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 19:47:29 GMT

London Pools Campaign have shamelessly posted a Glamour/Celebrity photograph and 'news item'. Detractors claim this may signal 'dumbing down'.

"Beyonce knows how to chill out after many busy months. She enjoys cocktails at the swimming pool."

(Via Javno - Lifestyle: .)

The answer is Tooting Bec Lido..

pool@... — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 17:44:32 GMT

Where is London’s best outdoor swim? London has lost 58 lidos and has just 12 places left to swim outdoors. London Pools Campaign sent out 100 swimming detectives to check out the state of the city’s lidos and ponds…

Last night Alastair Campbell and Fiona Millar presented the 2006 Golden Goggles Award to Tooting Bec Lido and the special commendation to the Serpentine.

The award ceremony took place at the newly refurbished Parliament Hill lido, on Hampstead Heath , hosted by the City of London who run the lido - with many of the swimming detectives present - as well as a live Brazilian Band.

THE DETECTIVES - AND THEIR COMMENTS Present at the ceremony were many of the swimming detectives who went round to the lidos and ponds and filled in a questionnaire detailing the cleanliness, quality of the water, friendliness of the staff, state of the buildings and whether there is a cafe. The Golden Goggles award was determined by the swimmers findings - the detectives were encouraged to add their comments and a selection of these can be read here.

Hard work not measured in pounds

webteam — Thu, 23 Feb 2006 20:27:53 GMT

Does this mean we can continue to look forward to "no amount of money"?

"Richard Caborn, the Sports Minister, wtiting in The Times on identifying the next generation of medal-winners :

'If anyone did not know what skeleton bob was before Thursday evening, they do now. And it’s all down to an inspirational performance by Shelley Rudman. She showed us what can be achieved with hard work and the desire to succeed.

'No amount of money can buy the kind of spirit, talent and determination that wins medals, but what we can do is make sure that we offer our athletes the strongest support network possible from the playground to the podium."

(Via Federation of South West Sports Organisations Hard work not measured in pounds: .)

Duncan Goodhew the capital's patron saint of swimming speaks out

webteam — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 20:04:54 GMT

Duncan Goodhew talks to the Evening Standard about all things swimming, his career and the challenges facing London as it claims to support swimming and young people. For a copy of the Evening Standard article Click Here

Inside Out programme video posted on site

webteam — Wed, 19 Oct 2005 06:03:21 GMT

At the risk off overloading our very busy servers more than you already do there are two copies of the Inside Out programme about our Swimming Detectives Awards for you to view online.

There's a big whoppa at 17.1mb [LINK]

and a remarkably similar smaller one [LINK]

Be patient because these will take a lot of hits ... and you may have to call back later.

Our Hackney contacts tell us that there is great change there and that the programme must be a bitter pill for GLL to swallow. GLL had literally just arrived at an aging pool where they are picking up the pieces after an (allegedly sacked) earlier contractor and many years of neglect by the facility's owner.

But check the comments at the bottom of the piece on the programme's webpage HERE

BBC - London - TV and Radio - Swimming Pools

webteam — Tue, 11 Oct 2005 18:28:37 GMT

"Swimming is London’s most popular form of exercise after simple walking and yet a recent audit found that one third of London’s pools did not meet swimmers expectations in a very crucial area – hygiene.
Tom Marlow is one of the masterminds behind a group called ‘The London Pools Campaign’ – an amalgam of various local pressure groups that were originally set up to save various local pools in the capital.
One of the first things the new group did was to undertake a survey of the capitals pools. With just over 100 public baths in the London area the task was a mammoth one, so The Pools Campaign used just over 90 regular swimmers to check out a list of pools and report on their findings.

The overall results of the survey show that around 30 of the pools inspected attracted comments such as ‘Poor’ or ‘Very Poor’ in an area that many of us using a pool would find crucial – Hygiene. [LINK]"

(Via BBC - London - TV and Radio - Swimming Pools: .)

Kate Hoey praises Golden Goggles award in the Telegraph

webteam — Wed, 01 Jun 2005 18:07:06 GMT

Hardly a week goes past without some kind of sporting awards ceremony. Indeed, it is an industry which seems to grow year by year. Nearly every sporting governing body organises an event at which their winners or long-serving members are honoured.
Last week I attended a very different type of awards evening. In the imposing Marshall Street swimming baths in Soho, which have been closed for seven years, the Golden Goggles awards were presented by Duncan Goodhew, one of our former Olympians. But these unique awards were being presented not to individual swimmers but for the best and worst swimming pools in London. ...
..... This consumer-led exercise should be repeated nationwide to give us an accurate picture of the state of swimming pools everywhere and some idea of how much money needs to be spent. ...
.... Sue Hudson, chair of the Friends of Marshall Street Baths, summed up the problem which faces swimming when she spoke at the awards. It is not a sport where millions are spent on transfers from one swimming club to another, or where there are takeovers of pools by rich Americans. It is just an activity which is cheap to participate in, superb for keeping fit, is fun and has the added bonus of saving lives.
(via Daily Telegraph online By Kate Hoey (Filed: 01/06/2005) [local link])

other news coverage for the Golden Goggles awards

The Times, Cath Urquhart

Evening Standard, Plea for cash to keep pools open

The Times, image of the week

East Ham Leisure Centre "London's Best Pool"

webteam — Fri, 27 May 2005 16:37:42 GMT

London Pools Campaign announced the results of the Golden Goggles Awards at an awards ceremony at Marshall Street Baths attended by ex Sports Minister Kate Hoey and many of the swimming detectives. Duncan Goodhew made the awards live on BBC1 giving the award for 'Best Pool' to East Ham Baths in Newham, the 'Swimmers Favourite' Award to the Porchester Centre in Westminster and the 'Best Borough Award' to Wandsworth Council.

Read the full press release here - including links to results for all the pools. We would really like to hear comments from swimmers either in support or the rankings or if you disagree...

Golden Goggles Award

pool@... — Fri, 20 May 2005 19:40:27 GMT

Ninety Swimmers have taken part in London Pools Campaign's survey of all of London's swimming pools. We've added up all the scores and can now announce the Short List

Best Pool
East Ham Leisure Centre, Newham
Pools on the Park, Richmond
Putney Leisure Centre, Wandsworth

Swimmers' Favourite
Park Road Pool, Haringey
Porchester Centre, Westminster
West Wickham Pool, Bromley

Best Borough
Newham
Wandsworth
Westminster

We've found some real horrors (like the pool with no showers!) and some surprising gems ( beautiful architecture, light airy pool halls and clear water). Read here how we went about the survey and our thoughts...

Duncan Goodhew presents the Golden Goggles awards for 'Best Pool', 'Swimmers Favourite' and 'Best Borough' on Wednesday 25th May in Marshall Street Baths in Soho - fabulous Art Deco marble-lined pool which has been closed to the public for 7 years.

Read the full results here! (except for the top 3 in each category which will be announced at the award ceremony). Swimmers comments here!

Or here's a quick summary of the results with all the pools categorised.

Winners announced on the night. Any comments? We can add them to the tables, please send to info@londonpoolscampaign.com or 020 7690 6662

Lido on telly tonight

webteam — Thu, 31 Mar 2005 21:07:44 GMT

Modern Times: A film about people who frequent Brockwell Park Lido is to be screened on the telly tonight at 10.40 on BBC4

Grassroots must not be trampled by London bid

webteam — Tue, 22 Feb 2005 19:19:43 GMT

Kate Hoey has again written forcefully in the Daily Telegraph about the impact that she sees the Olympic Bid having on London's present sporting infrastructure.

"Last week, as Parliament was in recess, I spent many hours in south London with a variety of sporting groups and I saw no sign of spontaneous support for a London Olympics. What I did see was committed volunteers struggling to keep their sports clubs afloat in the face of rising costs of hiring facilities and organising transport. I saw the Herne Hill velodrome, part of the legacy of the 1948 Games, lying empty and no commitment from Government to get it reopened."

(Via The Daily Telegraph.)

radio five live celebrates the lottery

webteam — Fri, 12 Nov 2004 19:57:38 GMT

"radio five live has run a show looking at the legacy of the lottery on sport and guess what came up, Clissold Leisure Centre! This was a very balanced and thoughtful programme that covered a complicated topic in detail and very fairly. Worth it just to hear the ASA stick up for Sport England. Click here to hear the bit about Clissold Hope the BBC and Radio Five Live are cool about us posting this, thanks."

(Via Clissold Leisure Users' News.)

The Lottery fails Londoners

webteam — Mon, 08 Nov 2004 22:21:49 GMT

This week the Lottery celebrates ten years of doling out large sums of money to good causes. Yet there's one group which has barely seen any of that cash - London's swimmers.

'There's a popular misconception that Lottery money has been invested in improving and maintaining London's pools' says Liz Hughes of the London Pools Campaign. 'Instead in the last ten years we have seen an ongoing decline in the number of pools in the city.'

'Each year in London one more pool closes and is not replaced. This year Charlton Lido and Willesden Pool closed, last year Clissold Leisure Centre closed. Streatham Pool, Northolt Swimarama and Ladywell Pool are under threat.'

The money from the lottery has only been used to develop new facilities. Unfortunately for residents of the borough of Hackney, one of those projects, the Clissold Leisure Centre, was closed in 2003 after only twenty months when inspectors found a series of faults. There is no indication of it re-opening.

Click here to read the full press-release

a fat nation finds it a challenge to swim

webteam — Tue, 02 Nov 2004 08:07:45 GMT

A BBC programme Short Change: The Fat Nation Challenge this Thursday 04 Nov at 4:35pm will be talking about obesity, exercise, other health issues and, we are told, the number of swimming pools closing across the UK. It will be repeated on CBBC at 5pm on Sunday 07 November. It seems that the crisis in swimming has now spread well beyond London and the issue has gone national.

London Pools Campaign on BBC London

webteam — Fri, 15 Oct 2004 17:02:58 GMT

Ashley was interviewed yesterday morning for BBC LONDON about the new statistics detailed in the reply to Kate Hoey's written question to Richard Caborn. He spoke from the closed Clissold Leisure Centre about the effect of pool-closures on Londoners. With thanks to BBC LONDON (94.9fm) To listen to the piece click here for audio file (4mb)

They have also posted a new webpage around the issues involved in pool-closures [LINK]

September Pool Campaign newsletter is out

webteam — Thu, 16 Sep 2004 21:37:40 GMT

Our latest newsletter is available and online If you want to receive a copy via email please join the site by clicking here

news item: Ealing Council outlines possible actions at Northolt Swimarama!

Marshall Street - OPENS FOR LONDON OPEN HOUSE 18th/19th SEPTEMBER

AND ANOTHER POOL CLOSES as BRITISH OLYMPIC TEAM SWIM AGAINST THE ODDS....LONDON POOLS CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

pool@... — Thu, 12 Aug 2004 18:18:14 GMT

This Saturday, the nation's top swimmers will begin competing at the Athens Olympics......they have an excellent chance of success, inspite of the state of UK pools; Bill Sweetenham the national swimming coach says "In swimming, we have the worst facilities in the top 20 countries in the world. That's not investment in sport - that's neglect and negligence." None of the 36 British Olympic swimmers trains at a London club.

Each year in London at least 1 pool closes - this year Charlton Lido has closed, Northolt Swimarama will close in the autumn and Ladywell Pool has announced its closure.

To highlight pool closures a group of cyclists and swimmers plan to cycle to every tube stop in London and swim across each lido under water (Full details in next news item below).

Charlton Lido while still in use...

OR ...for lazier lido lovers... join LONDON POOLS CAMPAIGN to greet the swimmers/cyclists at CHARLTON LIDO at 11am on Saturday 21st August for photoshoot to highlight the closure of yet another London Pool - followed by food and drink at the Charlton launch of the London Pools photo exhibition

JOIN US @ 11am on SATURDAY 21st AUGUST AT CHARLTON LIDO, HORNFAIR PARK, CHARLTON PARK LANE, SE7

LONDON POOLS CAMPAIGNERS FROM POOLS ACROSS LONDON
THE CHARLTON LIDO SWIMMING CLUB
THE CHARLTON LIDO TRIATHLETES
THE CHARLTON LIDO CANOE POLO CLUB
HE CHARLTON LIDO CROSS CHANNEL SWIMMING CLUB
LOCAL PEOPLE FROM CHARLTON AREA WHO USED TO SWIM IN THE LIDO

When we will greet Dr Gavin White and friends who are on a 5 day endurance trial to cycle to every tube station in London and swim underwater at every lido (except Charlton)...The funds raised by sponsorship of the swimmer/cyclists will go the Medical Care of the Victims of Torture (donation address below) .

WHY IS CHARLTON LIDO CLOSED?

Greenwich Council has closed Charlton Lido this year because of health and safety fears. The lido needs £120k to open in short term for public swimming - and £500k to secure its long term future. The funding is needed for an automatic dosing system, improved aeration system and improved security.

This illustrates the problems faced by local authorities across London who cannot afford to keep public swimming pools open.

Exhibition at Age Exchange,

The Reminiscence Centre,11, Black Heath Village, SE3 9LA

Opening 12 noon Sat 21st August (following photoshoot at lido) Showing photos by Balthazar Serreau of the closed and threatened pools in London - from the marble splendour of Marshall St to the graffitied dereliction of Uxbridge Lido...dotted across the capital are more than 20 closed swimming pools and lidos - most decaying and vandalised, some guarded by security.

While London spends millions bidding for the 2012 Olympics we are losing our local swimming pools...

Pictures London Fields Lido : Poplar Baths Eltham Lido : Haggerston Pool

Last year Clissold Leisure Centre closed. It cost £32 million (instead of the initially planned £7.5 million) – and had been open just 20 months. Court cases abound, but there is no sign of the pool re-opening – and there has been press speculation about it being knocked down. This year Northolt Swimarama and Charlton Lido are closing and Ladywell Baths is under threat. Ealing Council want to demolish Northolt Swimarama and sell the land to a developer for £3.5 million. Plans to build a replacement pool in a nearby school have fallen through. Charlton Lido has struggled on for years, but this year it has closed – future is very uncertain. Ladywell is to be demolished to make way for a new school - though it has just had a £1.8 million revamp.

Obesity

The Chief Medical Officer reported in April that lack of exercise is costing the country £10 billion each year, and that these health problems are concentrated in the most deprived areas. These are the communities that most need local public affordable swimming pools - as people here are least likely to have cars, private gym membership, good facilities/opportunities for sport at work or school. The 2001 DCMS report "Testing the water" found that repairing every swimming pool in the country would cost £2 billion (1 off payment).

LONDON POOLS CAMPAIGN - HACKNEY LOST 6 POOLS SINCE 1988

webteam — Mon, 02 Aug 2004 22:52:47 GMT

London Pools Campaign was set up to draw attention to the state of London's swimming pools. The aims of the organisation are to stop pool closures and to see the setting up of a London Pools Trust associated with the GLA to take on London's pools as local authorities are struggling to manage pools across the capital. The London Pools Campaign exhibition of closed and threatened pools is at Brockwell Lido cafe until August 5th.

Hackney is one of the driest boroughs in London, having just 1 lane pool for 200,000 population - and 3 closed pools - at 2 of which it is paying for 24 hour security. In 1988 Hackney had 7 lane pools - 3 at Kings Hall (2 of these now closed), 2 at the old Clissold Centre, 1 at Haggerston Pool and the London Fields Lido. This matched Sport England's historic criteria that there should be 1 swimming pool per 30,000 population.

get the Times on Saturday

webteam — Fri, 09 Jul 2004 20:53:13 GMT

We were told that The Times on Saturday 10 July would include an article on this week's swim London 2004 event, we'll check again Sunday. Sadly we think it is too late for them to have included the closure, until further notice, of Charlton Lido.

The photograph here was taken outside Clissold Leisure Centre in Stoke Newington which only remained open for 20-months after costing a fortune to build. Hackney Council was almost bankrupted during construction of the pool and the council is widely believed to have closed other pools in Hackney to afford it.

The London Pools Campaign works to fight pool closures across London and to ensure that new pools are appropriate in their design and their specification so that they will serve their communities well and for a considerable time. The London Pools Campaign is working to ensure that the situation in Hackney is not repeated elsewhere across London.

If you want to be involved in the campaign or have a pool that you are worried about please get in touch. To join the website and receive updates and newsletters click HERE

"It's time to stop pulling the plug on our pools", says Kate Hoey

webteam — Wed, 19 May 2004 20:41:31 GMT

It is not surprising that demand (for "Kids Swim Free") was high in Hackney. Not only is it one of the poorest authorities in England but the number of swimming pools has plummeted over the past 15 years. In 1988 there were eight pools, including a large lido and a leisure pool. Today there is just the leisure pool and one lane pool left.
[ It's time to stop pulling the plug on our pools By Kate Hoey (Filed: 17/05/2004)]

GLA adopts "KIDS SWIM FREE"

webteam — Tue, 16 Mar 2004 23:03:50 GMT

Up to 250,000 children living in five London boroughs are to benefit from Kids Swim Free, a new scheme to encourage swimming and exercise amongst young Londoners, in plans announced by Mayor Ken Livingstone.

Children under 16 from the London boroughs of Newham, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Greenwich and Hackney will be eligible to receive Kids Swim Free cards giving them free entry to local authority swimming pools during the Easter holidays this year. [GLA press-release]

London Pools Campaign put this idea to Diana Johnson's office at the GLA last year - on the basis of successful projects in Wales and Glasgow. We are delighted that the GLA has taken up this suggestion and backed an idea which can only do good in combating obesity and youth crime - as well as making children safer, and giving them a life-long skill and encouragement to participate in sport. [LPC press-release]

Clissold Leisure Centre - anatomy of a disaster

webteam — Thu, 04 Mar 2004 17:18:49 GMT

Clissold is a national disaster for swimming and a symbol of where leisure facilties can go horribly wrong. It is possible that, as a country, we can learn from this and it just might herald a shift in policy for leisure facility design and management in Britain.

"How did it come to this? Late Victorian and Edwardian pools such as Haggerston and Whitechapel, closed for the greater glory of the failed Clissold leisure centre, were designed in the main by local authority architects. Thoughtfully built, they served local communities for a century, giving few problems along the way while offering genuinely democratic places to meet, wash and exercise. And all without hype."

This piece in the Guardian bemoans the loss of architect departments within local authorities but might only be telling part of the story. Outsourcing of leisure facility management, the loss of pool management professionals, sidelining of sports people in facility design and the increasing dominance of 'gym managers' and administrators left managing large capital projects, and influencing their design, could also be a factor.

Jonathan Glancey Monday 01 March 2004"[The Guardian ]

January Newsletter 2004

webteam — Fri, 30 Jan 2004 18:23:23 GMT

With items about pools in Hampton, Crystal Palace, Tower Hamlets and Hackney and news from the national press this is a bumper issue.

London Olympic site revealed

webteam — Wed, 12 Nov 2003 00:41:59 GMT

The location of an 80,000-seater stadium that will form the central part of London's bid for the 2012 Olympic Games is confirmed. [BBC News | UK]

FREE INITIAL FEASIBILITY STUDIES FOR LONDON POOLS

webteam — Thu, 06 Nov 2003 05:38:19 GMT

London Pools Campaign have had discussions with Tim Bushe from Bushe Associates (architects) in Islington who have offered to carry out a free initial feasibility-study for swimming pools in London. This offer is open to campaigners for any closed or threatened pool or lido in London and would equip each campaign with an outline plan of how the pool could be reopened/saved.

From the campaign's experience at Haggerston Pool we know that this is a fabulous offer and just what we could have done with in the initial stages of our campaign. As we all know, it is so important to start looking at ways of rescuing a building early on - we spent a lot of time demanding that the Council re-opened our pool, all to no effect.

You can read about Bushe Associates on their website - http://www.busheassoc.com - they have a long successful track record including 2 swimming pools in Health Clubs in North London. Tim Bushe identifies one of the strengths of his company as "pulling the threads together to make a building work".

Please get in touch if you would like to talk about this or to get in touch with Tim Bushe and I will pass on enquiries, Liz

Bristol pool plans caught in political whirlpool

webteam — Wed, 05 Nov 2003 22:55:14 GMT

The blueprint for an Olympic-size swimming pool in Hengrove Park has been given the go-ahead but it remains to be seen whether the Liberal Democrat group on the city council will call for a special meeting to be held to formally oppose the plans for the key site in south Bristol. [Western Counties ASA]

UPDATE 26 NOVEMBER 2003 - click here

No 10 orders flabby UK to get fit

webteam — Mon, 13 Oct 2003 05:06:05 GMT

Blair plan linked to bid for Olympics.

Adults are also becoming progressively more lethargic, with about half the population doing little or no sport. One of the big disappointments for Ministers is that, despite building £1.6 billion worth of sports centres with lottery money over the past nine years, participation in sport has risen by only 0.3 per cent. Inner-city teenagers are the worst affected.

[Guardian Unlimited]

Pools campaign submission to the GLA

webteam — Thu, 18 Sep 2003 18:57:15 GMT

The pools campaign today makes it submission to the GLA on the state of London's swimming pools and the need for change, planning and investment in this resource for Londoners to read more and download the submission click here.......

Primary schools failing in their legal responsibility

webteam — Tue, 16 Sep 2003 16:26:56 GMT

Tens of thousands of 11-year-olds leave primary school each year unable to manage at least the 25 metres required by the national curriculum, according to a poll by The Times Educational Supplement.

The survey of 587 schools, carried out in June and July, suggests that one child in six did not achieve that basic level of swimming.

Head teachers say the problem is the way the government demands a concentration on literacy and numeracy. Read the BBC article here .

Victoria Baths succesful on restoration

webteam — Mon, 15 Sep 2003 04:52:21 GMT

With over 218,000 votes Victoria Baths in Manchester succeeds in winning the BBC show "Restoration" and secures funding to guarantee it's future. Well done to Victoria baths and here's hoping that this is the start of more success for Britain's pools.

London Pools Volunteer Worker

webteam — Mon, 28 Jul 2003 17:31:32 GMT

This is to introduce you all to Yurub Hassan who has volunteered to work on the London Pools Campaign for a few weeks this summer before she starts college again in September. Yurub will be updating the website, looking at membership information and producing some publicity material for us, so she will be contacting each campaign soon.

vote for Victoria Baths Manchester

webteam — Mon, 28 Jul 2003 17:11:33 GMT

BBC2 has a program called Restoration coming up where viewers are invited to vote for one of a series of listed buildings which deserve restoring, but cannot find the funds. The winning building receives 2 or 3 million pounds towards its restoration. One of our sister campaigns - Victoria Baths in Manchester is part of the program - their building will probably be featured on August 8th. To vote for them call 0901 077 77 77 - calls cost 30p of which 17.9p goes to the restoration fund.

Janet Adegoke Pool Closes

pool@... — Wed, 11 Jun 2003 17:41:47 GMT

Janet Adegoke Pool in Shepherd's Bush has closed it's doors for ever. Hammersmith and Fulham Council have plans to build a new centre probably with shops, but including a swimming pool on the site. Lots of information about the consultations and plans on the Council website.

In the meantime a bus service has been laid on to take people from the Janet Adegoke pool to the only other public pool in Hammersmith and Fulham - the Lillie Road pool in Fulham. This is run by Holmes Place and has a public pool and a members only pool.