Easter Closure

Whilst away with the family on holiday, I had the pool drained and re-grouted, paintwork refreshed and some mechanical problems fixed.  I know many of our members missed their regular sessions, but as the pool is  booked for 14 hours a day, 7 days a week, the maintenance tasks build up to the point where only a complete shutdown will do. There are still a couple of small jobs to do, which I hope to complete soon.

Business Expansion

You may be aware that for the last five years I have been trying to expand my business; increasingly I am having so many enquiries about the pool from individuals and groups that I just cannot satisfy the demand for swimming and hydrotherapy sessions at the Bathing Pool. I even get calls about the Pool from people who want to book sessions as from as far away as London and Birmingham! This has made me realise that there is a demand for more pools like the Bathing Pool.

Although I have tried to find suitable land to build more pools, my problem has been the lack of available land in the local area at an affordable price which the local authorities consider suitable for leisure development.

To date I have spent a great deal of time and money in making proposals, commissioning architectural drawings and generally exploring every possible opportunity, the most significant of which include:

• Approaches to Fareham Borough Council and Local Health authority regarding Land at the Coldeast Hospital site at Locks Heath

• Meetings with SEEDA and others regarding Daedalus

• Pre-planning application to build on Industrial land off the Gosport and Fareham Road

• A formal bid to Portsmouth City Council regarding land next to Copnor Bridge

• Meeting with the new owners of the Haslar site.

• Detailed proposals and discussions with St Vincent College regarding the conversion of their existing Swimming Pool building.

I have learnt a great deal over the last 12 years at the Bathing Pool about the specific needs of many different groups of users including pensioners, those with special needs, families, weight-loss groups, baby swimming, aqua-aerobics groups and general swimming for relaxation and exercise in a comfortable, private environment. Future pools that I would build would incorporate new ideas to enhance the swimming and exercise experience with some hi-tech interactive technology, which I believe could be the start of a fresh industry. Although many surveys in the last few years have highlighted community swimming facilities and new jobs as high priority in improving quality of life for local people, all my attempts to bring both swimming facilities and jobs have so far been frustrated.

Following my trip to America I have been inspired to see how access for all to high quality experiences combined with new technologies is a winner: that if I am to achieve my aims of widening access to swimming and hydrotherapy facilities here, I need to work harder at winning the support of those in a position of influence. With this in mind, I have decided that some of the most persuasive voices could come from the members who have benefited from coming to the Bathing Pool over the years. So I intend to put together a short film on my website full of short clips of people saying why they chose the Bathing Pool over other facilities. I will have my camera on standby in the coming weeks if you would like to offer your support.

Please feel free to pass this newsletter on to anyone who may be able to help me with my passion for creating new swimming and hydrotherapy facilities for everyone.

Brook White