e n e w s l e t t e r issue 15, may 2013 · e n e w s l e t t e r issue 15, may 2013 a ... we have...
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e N E W S L E T T E R Issue 15, May 2013
A combination of sunshine and warm water on the first day of the season
made perfect conditions for the West of England MS Therapy Centre marathon
swim. Sixteen determined swimmers
clocked up 1258 lengths between them, the equivalent distance to the
London Marathon also taking place that weekend. Organiser Jenny Barstow
said “We had a great time and a very successful day and have so far raised
over £2000 to help the work of the
Therapy Centre. “
The idea was thought up by Katie Livesley who wanted to
support the Therapy Centre, as she has multiple sclerosis. “I like supporting the Centre as I know how much it helps those
with MS. I want to help out where I can and ensure it can
continue to do its fantastic work. I was looking at sporting events and saw the London Marathon. There is no way I could
run a marathon, but I thought I would be able to get a team together connected to the Centre to help me swim a mara-
thon the same weekend as the London Marathon. I posted the idea on Facebook and now, thanks to the Pool and 15
team members, we have raised enough to fund the oxygen
treatment suite for over two weeks. Oxygen treatment helps to relieve the extreme fatigue and pain caused by multiple
sclerosis, as well as helping to improve movement and in-crease healing. This is the second most popular therapy of-
fered at the Centre, and is used by more than half of those
who come to us. We must also thank everyone at Portishead Open Air Pool for allowing this to happen and making the day
possible.”
If you would like to support the swimmers, and help the
Centre to continue providing its therapies to people living with MS from across the region you can donate at
www.justgiving.com/teams/MSswimathon. To find out more
about the Centre, please go to www.mstherapybristol.org.uk or call 01454 201 686.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Charity Swim Opens New Season
Page
Charity swim opens new season 1
Round up of opening week pics 2
Ready for summer 3
Longest swim on the longest day 3
Volunteers’ diary 3
Ann gets NVQ 3
Triathlon season gets off to great start 4
Page
Summer swim school 4
Practically perfect mums 4
Pool memories from the 80s and 90s 5
Favourite open air pools 6
Parking charges update 6
Season tickets on sale now 6
(click on the number to go to the page)
Fundraiser Jenny Barstow keeps track of the lengths
Photo by Chris Clarke, Perception Photography
“Thanks to the Pool
and our 15 team
members, we have
raised enough to fund
the oxygen treatment
suit for over two
weeks”
Plenty of other people were also enjoying their first swim of the season. The previous evening’s ITV weather forecast
which was broadcast live from the pool brought in one family from Gloucestershire who were delighted to discover the lido
was the first heated open air pool in the area to open for the
season. Hopefully, they will be first of many visitors to dis-cover the delights of sunbathing and swimming in the open air
in this wonderful location
(See page 2 for more photographs of the MS Therapy Centre Marathon Swim and the first week of the season)
2
Round up of Opening Week
Clockwise from top left: (1) So that’s where I left my locker key! (2) Volunteers Andy Thatcher, Steve Lewis
and Brian Hunt fit the new shopfront sign (3) MS marathon swimmers take a break with lifeguard Hannah Barr (right) (4) Our first little dipper Freddie Gent with mum Anna;(5) steam rising 6.45am on the first
morning (6) Volunteers Ann Hailwood and Barbara Thatcher cheer on the marathon swimmers (Photos 3 and 6 courtesy of Chris Clarke at Perception Photography ©)
3
S omething pretty special is happen-
ing at the Pool on Midsummer’s
Day, 21 June.
We are hosting the "Longest Swim On
The Longest Day" charity event to
raise money for the Raj K Soni Legacy
Fund. Eighteen-year old Raj was a talented sportsman who
was tragically killed in a cycling accident last year.
Raj’s two great passions were sport and music so his parents
set up a memorial fund to benefit under 21s looking for finan-
cial help in their chosen fields of sport or music. All monies
raised from this swim event will therefore go into the fund to
help local young people in these areas.
Pool Trustee Andy Thatcher said “This event has received
amazing support and at least 300 swimmers ranging from 8 to
80 years of age and of differing abilities will each complete a
30 minute swim between 7am to 8pm on the longest day of
the year”.
He continued “Local schools have also caught swim fever -
High Down Junior School for example have volunteered to
bring along up to 100 of their children in an attempt to com-
plete the equivalent of one English Channel swim crossing (21
miles) in relay format. North Somerset Coaches have offered
to transport the children free of charge and there is a real
The Longest Swim on the
Longest Day
Volunteers’ diary
T he summer volunteers’ diary is now up and running
online. This is where you can see which slots are available
for reception and tuck shop duties and book the ones that suit
you. Alternatively, ring Ann on 07813095126 or email her on
spirit of community about this whole thing, with other schools
also considering how they might best participate.”
The swim has another unusual twist in that Alan McClatchey,
bronze medalist at the 1976 Olympics will be completing his
30-minute swim whilst away in Luxembourg that day.
As a finale to the event, several local teams will swim against
each other in relay format. Some of these teams will have
Olympians among their ranks. Craig Figes, current British
water polo captain, is pulling together a team of his players;
ex-swim international Simon Handley is bringing some of his
old team members whilst the younger generation will be rep-
resented by teams from some of our local swim clubs.
If you are interested in learning more about this event or may
like to swim please contact Tom Williams on
Alternatively, if you are unable to make it to the event but do
want to make a donation, you can do so by visiting http://
www.quartetcf.org.uk/Donation_add.asp?Type=O and paying
electronically. Please reference your payment in the text free
box as "Raj K Soni Legacy Fund - Longest Swim".
“….there is a real
spirit of community
about this whole
thing…. ”
Craig Figes with Team GB at last year’s Olympics
Ready for Summer
A s well as the new slabs and general cleaning and painting
which we reported in our last issue, the Premises Commit-
tee has given us the following update for the new season:
The pool cover has been given an MOT. TAM Engineering,
who have looked after the pool and its plant since 1962, have
welded the guides so that they are all in place and volunteer
Dave Russ carried out a repair to the lead tapes.
The Tuck Shop has been fitted out with a new commercial
microwave, Burco boiler, and hand wash heater ready to face
the new season.
The biomass boiler gave us a few problems when we were
heating up the pool ready for opening. A build up of dust in
the main auger caused a blockage in the system so it had to
be nursed along for the first week of heating to allow enough
of the pellets to be burned to allow safe access into the store.
Volunteers Andy Thatcher and Duncan Faulkes, with pool
manager Natasha, had to clear the blockage several times to
burn off the pellets and thoroughly clean the store before the
new season’s delivery. Luckily the 50 year old oil boilers could
be pressed into service to get the water up to temperature for
the opening weekend but we should be able to run from now
on entirely on biomass.
Staff. We have so far recruited ten lifeguards. Four of them
we welcome back from previous years - Tina, Kiri, Guy & Will -
and six are new to us this year. Welcome to Ben, Hannah,
Jonathan, Lucy, Paul & Katie.
Longest Swim contd...
Ann gets NVQ
C ongratulations to Ann Hailwood , our
Volunteer Co-ordinator, who has gained
her NVQ2 in Leisure Management
(Swimming Pools). Ann completed her
training last summer under the expert
guidance of trainer Carrie Tovey.
4
P ractically Perfect Mums is the dedicated on-line guide to
what's on for children in Portishead and beyond.
Having
identified a
lack of
information
about local
children's
activities,
mum of
three Jane
Batt de-
cided to set
up Practically Perfect Mums website - a comprehensive guide
to child and family-friendly events and activities. Since setting
it up in 2012, the website has become a valuable resource for
parents and carers of babies, toddlers and children in the
region. Jane regularly shares information on the Pool with her
readers and we are pleased to share this great website with
you. The main features are:
PORTISHEAD WEEKLY
The unique weekly planner offers a clear guide to what's on
each day in and around Portishead. This is the place to look
for regular activities, such as toddler groups and after school
clubs.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
The special events calendar features forthcoming child &
family-friendly events, organised in date order. This section is
particularly useful in school holidays and covers a wider area
including Bristol and Weston-super-Mare.
PORTISHEAD PLACES
Here you'll find reviews and other information about local
venues. This could be anywhere from the Youth Centre to an
interesting local beach. This section also expands out to cover
some Bristol and North Somerset venues.
BUY & SELL MARKET
Do you have baby equipment which you haven’t got round to
selling?
Could you do with earning some cash for the clothes your
children have outgrown?
Would you like to grab a local bargain?
Then come on in to Practically Perfect Market 2 where Listing
an item on the site is FREE
If you would like to keep up to date with local chil-
dren's activities, please come along and try out the
site - and if you find it useful, it's FREE to register!
www.practicallyperfectmums.co.uk
CONTRIBUTORS:
Jane would like to hear from you if you run a group or club
for children or have any any information regarding local
events and activities which would benefit from being publi-
cised on the site’s what’s on guide. Basic listings are free
so please contact [email protected]
Practically Perfect Mums Triathlon Season gets
off to a great start
P ortishead and Clevedon Triath-
lon club – PACTri - is a local friendly
triathlon club
which encourages anyone who wants
to swim better, cycle faster
and run more eas-ily. We hold regu-
lar triathlons for
members, with a swim of 8 lengths,
then bike and run, all centred at the Open Air Pool and Lakegrounds. We always
finish with a coffee, bacon roll and a chat at the Lido
Kitchen. We race at least once a month on a Sunday at 8am
and we're done by 9.30. We're very informal and more im-portantly, it's fun! The events are designed to give everyone
a chance to give-it-a-go while at the same time allowing more seasoned racers to stretch themselves. More details are on
the club website (http://www.pac-tri.com/) or just drop in
and have a chat at our swim session on Wednesdays at 7pm at the Pool.
Finishers from the first triathlon of the 2013 season
Summer Swim School
W e are pleased to announce
there will be swimming les-
sons on offer at the Pool during
June, July and August. On Tues-
days or Thursdays (PM) we will be
offering courses for beginners
and improvers taught by Mel
Miller, ASA Cert Teaching Aquatics
(QCF).
Fees are £58.50 for a 13 week
course of half hour lessons (£4.50 per lesson) once a week on
a Tuesday or Thursday PM
Contact Mel for further details on 07804881106 or email
Alternatively contact the Pool on 01275 843454
5
More Pool Memories from the 80s and 90s
F or those of our readers who don’t use Facebook, here are some photographs taken by staff during the 80s and 90s and posted in our Facebook Group. From the comments of Group members, they all have great memories of their time at the Pool which
is still a very special place for us today. I have put names to faces where I can, but if anyone can add the ones I don’t know I would be glad to publish them. With many thanks to Bev Wright, Andy Reed and Robert Szafarz among others.
Clockwise from top left: (1)Mo and Pete (Tate); (2) Life-
guard Andy Reed and colleague Will (must have been a
good summer!; (3) Norm Jelley in the basket store; (4)
back: Roy Gummer, Jean Jelley, Bev Wright, front: Hilda
Gummer, Norm Jelley; (5) Lifeguard cartoon by talented
Robert Szarfarz; (6) Pool in 2001 looking rather drab;
(7) Lifeguard Roy Gummer who sadly passed away recently
at 91; Centre (8) Robert Szarfarz larking about
W hy not also like us on our Facebook Page or follow us on Twitter and keep up with Pool
events online?
6
Favourite Open Air Pools by our roving reporter Richard Nuell
A s your roving re-porter, I make it
my business to check out the com-
petition, locally and
nationally and the editor asked me
recently which were my favourite open
air pools. To answer this question I have
to include all the
open air pools I have visited, not just
those run by volunteers, so I put Tooting Bec and Cheltenham at the top of my personal list closely followed by Portishead
and London's Parliament Hill lido. I stress that very different
personal reasons separate them and they all have just that tiny little bit extra which puts them in my top four.
My assessment is on the understanding that my score gener-ally refers to either a cold/wet day or an early morning ses-
sion, rather than a crowded, hot sunny Bank Holiday week-end.
The close runner up is the gorgeous but freezing cold big lido
at Uxbridge (Hillingdon). On my two visits, I had the place to myself. Rather than say "It's too cold to open today", they
take a lifeguard off other duties to keep an eye on me.
What I Look For
To feel welcome and wanted as a customer; a seasonal tuck
shop/cafeteria available and open; no grumpiness, a nice at-mosphere, good company and a well cared for pool. An accu-
rate and up to date website and none of this "we're not open-ing today" nonsense upon arrival without very good reason.
Oh yes, and lifeguard(s) paying attention at all times and not
idly kicking a football around (which I witnessed at one of my "Top 4" last year)!
How Do We Compare?
At Portishead I feel we have everything needed for a great
swim. It would be unkind of me to say one pool is better or
worse than another just because it happens to be 50 or 90 metres, has a larger cafeteria which serves light lunches, or-
ganises more events or has powerful cooking smells drifting over the pool. These tend to have more funding and have paid
staff to do it.
Which Pools Would I Regard As Unacceptable?
There are two which are OK once you are in but, despite being
advertised as open, they rarely are. I have wasted many hours turning up at these two places only to get through
pursed lips the "no, we're not opening today" charade. No
names, but they are not a huge distance away. I am not aware of any serious staffing or financial problems, otherwise
I would be a bit more tolerant. I should add that one of the pools in question is quite old, neglected and relatively un-
known except to locals; the fact that it has some tatty corners
in the pool, bits roped off and the changing room needs a spruce up does not worry me; so long as I can get a nice quiet
swim I don't tend to worry too much.
What Events Should We Put On In Portishead?
If I put aside the fact that for us to organise our own events in
Portishead we need to call on our dedicated volunteers even more than now, I simply note that some pools put on:
A "Longest Day" swim for all at 4.00 am A Christmas Day and/or New Year dip
An extra week of limited opening at the end of the summer season after the heat has been turned off and the water
slowly cools down (my favourite idea, cribbed from Chelten-ham, and minimal staffing needed)
A charity fundraising "Swim the Channel" individual or team
challenge in which you record the distance you swim on each visit. *
*Richard (and anyone else interested) – do check out the Splashpath challenges. The Pool is listed on the Splashpath
website and they provide the daily timetable on our website. You can log in and record and compare your swims with other
users, and set yourself personal challenges like swimming the
Channel. You can even download their free app to your smartphone or tablet. Ed.
S eason tickets are now available for the 2013 season. Just
go to our website. Having a season ticket means less
queuing, and it's excellent value for money, at the price of
just one swim per week!
Season Tickets on sale now
Tooting Bec Lido
Parking Charges Update
F ollowing our report in the last newsletter, at the SPED
Scrutiny and Policy Committee meeting 9 April, Pool volun-
teers along with representatives from the Tennis Club, the
Chamber of Commerce and other concerned residents voiced
their concerns at North Somerset Council’s plans to introduce
parking charges at the Lake Grounds. This follows the recent
introduction of charges in Weston-super-Mare town centre
and the general impression was that councillors present be-
lieved the need for charges in W-s-M was not applicable to
other towns like Portishead. Bizarrely however, the recom-
mendation to the Executive Committee to consider introduc-
ing charges was carried on a show of hands.
I was present at the meeting and it seems that this was a
political decision – Weston councillors wanted to show their
electorate, who are unhappy with the charges, that everyone
in North Somerset would be treated the same, regardless of
the circumstances. It’s not all over yet though, and local
councillors will continue to strongly oppose these plans to the
Executive. Let us hope that these august ladies and gentle-
man will see sense and that the whole idea is quietly
dropped. Ed.
Published by Portishead Pool Community Trust
www.portisheadopenairpool.org.uk
Company No.6748050
Charity No.1129732 Editor: Barbara Thatcher, [email protected]