London Pools Campaign: Swimmers' Tales

Swimming - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

webteam — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 18:12:22 GMT

Children are often given formal swimming lessons, which serve to develop swimming technique and confidence. Children generally do not swim independently until 4 years of age.

In Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland, the curriculum for the fifth grade states that all children should learn how to swim as well as how to handle emergencies near water. Most commonly, children are expected to be able to swim 200 metres (220 yards) – of which at least 50 metres (55 yards) on their back – after first falling into deep water and getting their head under water. Even though about 95 percent of Swedish school children know how to swim, drowning remains the third most common cause of death among children.

In both the Netherlands and Belgium swimming lessons under school time (schoolzwemmen, school swimming) are supported by the government. Most schools provide swimming lessons. There is a long tradition of swimming lessons in the Netherlands, the Dutch translation for the breaststroke swimming style is even schoolslag (school style).

In many places, swimming lessons are provided by local swimming pools, both those run by the local authority and by private leisure companies. Many schools also include swimming lessons into their Physical Education curricula, provided either in the schools' own pool, or in the nearest public pool.

(Via Swimming - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: .)

Map of Swimming Pools - Swiss Indoor and Open-Air Swimming Pool Guide

webteam — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 02:05:17 GMT

Switzerland: population, 7,554,661 (July 2007 est.) [CIA] London: population, 7,500,000 [WIKIPEDIA]

"The swimming pool icons (indoor swimming pool), (open air swimming pool) and (combined indoor and outdoor swimming pool) on the Swiss map indicate the position of the swimming pools covered by the Swiss Indoor and Open-Air Swimming Pool Guide. "

(Via Map of Swimming Pools - Swiss Indoor and Open-Air Swimming Pool Guide: .)

Roger Deakin - Force of Nature

pool@... — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 19:34:21 GMT

Roger Deakin, author of "Waterlog" has died at the age of 63 - there follows his obituary from the Guardian on September 15th. Waterlog is the lyrical tale of Deakin's attempts to swim all the wildwater of Britain, if you love swimming you will love his book.... In 1968, Roger Deakin bought the ruined remains of an Elizabethan house, and 12 acres of surrounding meadow, on the edge of Mellis Common in Suffolk. Little survived of the original 16th-century dwelling except its spring-fed moat, overhung by hazels, and its vast inglenook fireplace. So Roger put a sleeping-bag down in the fireplace, and lived there while he rebuilt the house around himself. Walnut Tree Farm, the house he eventually completed, and in which he died a month ago, is made largely of wood. It is as close to a living thing as a building can be. When big easterlies blow, its timbers creak and groan "like a ship in a storm", as Deakin put it, "or a whale on the move". He kept the doors and the windows open, in order to let air and animals circulate. Leaves gusted in through one door and out of another. Swallows flew to and from their nest in the main chimney. It was a house which breathed. Spiders slung swags and trusses of silk in every corner. As I sat with Deakin, 10 days before his death, a brown cricket with long spindly antennae clicked along the edge of an old biscuit tin.

Team to swim English Channel - underwater

Rob Spender — Fri, 04 Aug 2006 22:04:20 GMT

Croydon Guardian:

FIRST Little Britain comedian David Walliams swam the English Channel for Sport Relief. Now a charity fundraiser from Redbridge will attempt to cross the channel - underwater.

Colin Osbourne, from Hainault who founded the men's cancer charity Orchid after he nearly lost the battle against testicular cancer in 1996, is attempting to become one of the first people to cross the Channel as part of a underwater relay team.

The 24-hour relay will see the seven divers taking turns to swim for half an hour each at a depth of 10 metres and while the diver will have radio contact with the support boat the dive will essentially be a solo one.

Sally versus the Channel, Round Two

pool@... — Sat, 29 Jul 2006 01:17:02 GMT

Congratulations to Tooting Bec Lido swimmer, Sally Goble, who has swum the Channel - read her blog below...

It's now several days since I swam the Channel and it's just sinking in. I've gone from being plain exhausted to being completely manic. What a bloody journey to get here...

The run up The tide I am scheduled to swim on (18 July - 27 July) started on the early hours of Tuesday 18 July, and after an initial conversation with Neil, my pilot, I find that I am not, as I thought, 4th on the tide, but now 1st, due to a whole bizarre but fortunate set of circumstances. This is fantastic news because it means that I have 'first dibs' at the good weather. If it's a slightly dodgy day I can decline to swim and the day will be offered to the next swimmer in the queue. The crew are on standby every day of the tide until the weather forecast is announced at 7.30pm each day - when the pilot makes a decision as to whether you will swim or not.

nothing new under the sun as we learn of past campaigns

webteam — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 06:44:41 GMT

We have been contacted by a reader with details of a campaign back in the 1980's to save the old Latchmere Baths and to ensure that the council carried out the demolition safely to prevent any danger of asbestos being released into the atmosphere. If anyone has more details of the campaign please get in touch. To see one of their campaign letters click here

Sally is swimming the Channel

webteam — Wed, 22 Jun 2005 08:00:36 GMT

London swimmer and general 'good egg' Sally Goble is going to try and swim the Channel. Not satisfied with regular Masters sessions with Cally Masters and swimming the English Lakes now Sally is going for the big one. For those of you interested in what preparation is necessary for such a Herculean task she has allowed us to read her journal, click HERE to read it.

Having read this you may be interested to research further and could read The Crossing: The Extraordinary Story of the First Man to Swim the English Channel by Kathy Watson which is about Captain Webb's life and is more than just a book about swimming but also the aftermath of great success. It also gives a glimpse of the battles to codify swimming, the struggle to become the sport's administrator in the UK, the steps that people took to popularise swimming for a, sometimes distrustful, wider public. It gives an account of the early evidence of national rivalry played out through swimming and the promotion of 'kit' and accessories to make swimming into a sport that would 'pay'. You can't wear a wetsuit to swim the channel, so bike, wet-suit, watch and trainer manufacturers get sponsoring triathlon - we still want to know how full body sharkskin got to be legal in competition when you can't swim naked in a gala even by accident. All in all a good read.