Swimming pools & swimmers

I watched an item on the ITV local news tonight showing the new £27m Derby Leisure Centre, due to be opened later this year. Not only will this facility have its own velodrome, but they also just happened to mention that this will include a 50 metre Swimming Pool! Lets hope that this helps our own Council to focus their attention when considering public opinion for retaining our own Olympic pool!

Not sure where to place this link of 1st documentation of Coventry swimming sports and leisure baths you can move it if you want. Scroll down a little to 1 2 3, click each one, you have to download them.

Great find. I note that the original length was 165 ft as required at the time (32 lengths to a mile). I recall that this later had to be shortened slightly at great expense to 50m to confirm to newer metric standards (30 lengths to 1500m). As luck would have it, competitions now use electronic timing using touch pads which require a pool to be slightly over 50m so 165 ft would be ideal. I've just come across this small town on an island in the Philippines, population a mere 50,000, have just opened their 8 lane 50 metre pool. The cost including a running track, 15 million pesos, under £250,000!

The Council have announced the 50 metre pool is to be scrapped: Telegraph story

And apparently the only option they investigated in any depth (pun intended) was the 25m water park!

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It is extremely annoying how they consistently say its unviable but never go further than give baseline figures. On what assumptions were the predictions run? Although the upkeep costs of a larger pool will undoubtedly be larger, the extras of a splash pool like slides and wave machines need constant inspection and repair, as well as a huge amount more manpower in terms of lifeguards to ensure the safety of patrons, given the potential danger of the extra structures and the younger clientele they will attract. I fail to see why a 25m pool would have virtually any draw given most people would live closer to a 25m pool on the outskirts, like AT7, Excel etc. I'm not against having a splash pool - I think it could be a useful part of the city centre - but the current baths already has one and it's target market is going to appeal to the young - say 7 to 16 or thereabouts. People who can't or aren't allowed to travel by themselves and rely on chaperones and parents. So how is that going to help the centre be regionally significant (a major theme in the blurb), if the clientele all rely on busy parents to take them? And they don't have money to spend to how will that aid other parts of the city centre economy? There is something regionally significant about the 50m pool - its the only one in the region! Maybe this has been agreed with WU, so they can build a 50m pool? Otherwise I fail to see how this decision makes any sense whatsoever.

As I've mentioned before, the council commissioned a report on the city's sports facilities back in 2006. This concluded that there was a shortage of three 25m pools. The report is no longer on the council website but there is a copy in the internet archive. Here are the 18 pools at that time. I don't believe there have been any net additions since then and certainly opening hours have reduced for some. Is the Jaguar pool (no.13) still open to the public?

I found this video on British Pathe - any idea where this pool is? I see a Dunlop sign in the background is this a clue or just an advert. Leanne

As my device doesn't support Adobe flash player I assume being outdoors as it states I imagine it would be Ryton Pool.

I don't think it's Ryton, it is more of an Industrial area maybe Gosford, The Dunlop sign looks like an advert..

Scroll down a little on this link there is a picture of the school from the Coventry Telegraph.

I also remember going to Gosford Park open swimming Pool, this was always a dreaded experience especially in the winter months when the pool was partly frozen over, these days the school would be taken to court for abuse. We had to change by the poolside and I remember the teacher Shannon he had a habit of always being around the changing rooms at Freddie Birds sometimes slapping the bare arse of a passing school boy Corporal punishment was the norm in the days I went there and I sustained several injuries after a severe caning. The maths teacher kept his cane in a glass of water, one end painted red the other blue and he would always give it to you in front of the class after first asking you blood or bruises referring to the painted ends of the cane, I think his name was Edwards I absolutely hated him. No point in complaining to anyone including your parents in those days either. The highlight of the week would be a public flogging on the stage in front of the assembly for particulary disruptive pupils.

With all the furore going on about the closure of Livingstone Road Baths, I notice with some interest that NOTHING has been mentioned about the Roman Baths beneath and slightly to the rear of the baths. I remember being taken down there with a party of schoolkids in the 50's. The baths were complete and in very good condition, so why has no one at least even tried to keep this important site for future generations ?