 Autumn morning on the Heath (Credit - Ahmed Massoud) The MPA AGM was held on 24th October 2019 and thanks go to member Rodney for providing the perfect pondside location for the 15 or so attendees present. Full meeting minutes can be reviewed by clicking the button below. Apart from a general review of the year's activities our formal association Constitution was agreed and signed off and can be downloaded and reviewed on via the link below. One topic that came up doing something to commemorate the writer, intellectual and Mixed Pond regular, Al Alvarez, who died on September 23rd aged 90. He was an important figure in literary London as you can see from the many obituaries of him such as this one from The Guardian.
Our discussion turned out to be especially appropriate because at the end of our meeting two of Al's granddaughters arrived where we were meeting because they happened to have been invited to dinner. They were thrilled to hear about the plans for him to be commemorated at the pond and we hope to have more news in time for next season (which starts early May). Membership renewal notices will be sent to mailing list members in April/May next year. Until then, keep warm!
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End Of Season Tea Party  It’s the time again when an occasional sniff of autumn is a reminder that the summer is more than half gone by. The mixed pond swimming season will end this year on Sunday September 22nd and there will be an END OF SEASON TEA PARTY on that day 2.30pm to 4.30pm. Whatever the weather this is always a fun occasion to have a last summer swim, meet other swimmers and enjoy hot tea and cake (free to members or £3 to join on the day). All pond users and family and friends are welcome whether members or not but as usual there will be the opportunity to join. Bring a few coins if you mean to renew or join. Bring a bit more cash if you want to buy one of the books on sale, Wild Swimming Walks and Wild Swimming in Spain. Contributions of food always happily consumed. MPA Annual General Meeting 2019We will soon be arranging the Mixed Pond Association AGM which is usually held soon after the end of the season. So, look out for an email giving date and place and do try to come. The Committee needs input from members and the AGM is a good occasion to discuss any concerns about the Pond or the Association. The 2019 Season So FarWe’ve enjoyed a varied summer this year starting with plenty of sunshine and followed by more classic English weather shifting unpredictably between cloud, sun and rain. The hot days – and they included one of the hottest on record - brought the usual crowds to test the patience and skills of our wonderful lifeguards. The Heath staff also had to deal with numbers of people trying to bathe in the other (non swimming) ponds, a foolish risk not only because these are not life guarded but because they are not checked for hazards or contamination. There was at least one accident when a woman injured her face by plunging into the boating pond. Please don't be tempted to try this as it also puts pressure on keeping the three existing ponds open for swimming at all. Overall, the popularity of open air cold water swimming has been surging which is great news but shows the need for more places to swim in London as the Heath ponds and Lido can’t keep up with an ever rising demand. The Women’s Pond and the Lido have recently been so busy even at 7am on a dull morning that some regulars have switched to the Mixed where the busy times are usually later. Despite a fair number of new regulars our early mornings continue to be quiet enough for a slow swim round, savouring the impressive display of purple loosestrife on the banks and watching the heron silently fishing. Sadly, the kingfishers have not returned. Let us hope…. Our membership continues to increase, partly no doubt due to the increase in swimmers but probably more because, thanks to Charles, it is now possible to join on-line at: https://www.mixedpondassociation.org.uk/membership.html The increase in numbers was also helped by a very successful Start of Season Tea Party in May.
Winter Swimming in the Mixed Pond
A protracted legal case was required to persuade the City to agree to the club and there is always a danger that the license might be withdrawn if the conditions are not respected. The club has been running fairly smoothly for over ten years with a gradual rise in membership but last winter there was a sharp increase in people joining which was unfortunately accompanied by an increase in problems. On many occasions the gates were left unlocked both when people were in the water and after they had left and it was evident that some members were giving out the secret lock code to other people. These issues are serious not only because major breaches in the agreement with the City could lead to the license being refused in future but also because they are a very real safety issue for members if gates are left open. As a result the HHWSC discussed at its AGM proposals to limit membership. The meeting decided not to do so this winter but to try to address the problems in other ways and reconsider the question next year. So, we would like to urge any of you who are winter Mixed Pond swimmers to be careful about signing in and locking the gates and to challenge anyone you may see breaking these rules or inviting in non-members. Locking the gates is, of course, essential but signing is also useful and not just a bureaucratic rule because it helps members to see when they can be reasonably sure of company, it provides evidence for the numbers using the club and it provides a record in case of any event that needs investigation. Swimming WalksThere are many places around London where it is possible to swim in natural waters and combining such swims with a good walk makes for a great day out. The book Wild Swimming Walks provides some examples and for anyone seeking companions it’s worth knowing there is a Facebook group Swim Walks where you can see walks and also short swimming holidays that you can join. Most are arranged by Philip Nice who set up the group but other people can and sometimes do use the group to arrange walks.
Philip’s walks are very varied and those of us who have been on them can thoroughly recommend them. You do not need to go with anyone as everyone is very welcoming to newcomers. Thank-you so much to this lovely group of game ladies who turned up to the annual Summer BBQ at the Mixed Pond and swam a full synchronised swimming routine for the 100 or so guests. The Bond Themed swim wend down a storm (on a nice evening)! We hope you will return again sometime.  Welcome back to the new season of swimming at the Mixed Pond. Below is a summary of the news, events and progress made over the winter months. Remember that the more official paid up members we have the louder our voice is with the City of London. Please join the MPA - it's just £3.00 per year! Just click this link and enter your email and name and we now have an online payment option too.  SEASON OPENING TEA PARTY - 19th MAY The season opening Tea Party will take place at the Mixed Pond on Hampstead Heath on Sunday 19th May, 2019, from 2.30pm until 4.30pm. Edible contributions to share with others are very welcome (please note any allergens when giving your goods) and we will be serving teas and coffees and cold drinks (no alcohol). If you can, bring a re-usable cup for your drinks, we don't want to produce more waste than we have to. Do come down and meet other regular mixed pond swimmers and bring friends and family. MIXED POND ASSOCIATION ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING In October the Hampstead Heath Mixed Pond Association (MPA) AGM was held. The full meeting minutes can be read via the document link below. It was a well attended meeting (all paid up members are welcome to come along). Margaret Dickenson stood down as Co-Chair (but remains on the committee) and was replaced by Kasia Sikora who has joined Mike Sands as co-chair's of the committee. The full list of committee members is now as per below: Kasia Sikora and Michael Sands - Co-Chairs Lola Culsán - Secretary Margaret Dickinson - Newsletter and Web Content Editor Charles Marks - Membership Secretary/Bank Signatory Julia Dick - Committee Member John Weller - Website Development and Merchandising Michael Sands – Bank Account signatory Janette Rutterford -Committee Member & Treasurer Felicity Moir and Ana Szerwo - Events Team
NEWS FROM THE CITY SWIMMERS' FORUM
The reason the MPA exists is to ensure that we (as a group of mixed pond swimmers) have a say in how the location is run and managed and this is done through the City of London and the Swimmers' Forum. We have representatives at all the regular forum meetings. The main points raised in March 2019 affecting the Mixed Pond were cycle racks, water quality, showers and rubbish bins. The cycle racks are delayed again because the site chosen has been judged not flat enough and and a new one has been proposed. We expect to be consulted on this when the plan is available. The water aerator in the pond which would help improve water quality further will not be functional until an improved electricity supply is installed and this is now in the City’s plans (but perhaps not happening until next year). We asked again if the aerator could be removed and stored in the meantime. We raised again the need for swimmers to be able to wash/shower properly in the changing areas. As we are aware, showers cannot be installed until an improved water supply can be brought in but during the winter swimming there are hosepipes in the changing areas. During previous summers these have been removed because the one in the women’s enclosure causes flooding and because the lifeguards consider there is a risk of misuse during periods of peak crowding. We suggested the flooding in the women’s could be solved by bringing in a stand like the one in the men’s enclosure and fixing the hose over the drain. We suggested that the risk of misuse could be solved by disconnecting the hose only during such peak periods which normally occur during only a small part of the season. By contrast every day swimmers come in the morning wanting to be able to swim and shower before work. Our request seemed to be accepted but we will have to see what happens. We have asked for the bins with holes in the lid to be replaced because squirrels get caught in them. One or two have been replaced but others are still there. We learnt that the City is planning to make radical changes to the way it collects and disposes of litter and that we cannot expect much change before these plans are implemented. After selling out our first screening of the newly released film about a year at the Hampstead Heath ponds (in just 5 days), we have arranged a second showing on at 6pm on Thursday, 28th February, 2019. Full details on how to get tickets below but hurry and book as there are only 50 tickets available.  Screening Details
Want to shelter from the ice and arctic weather and join a group of outdoor swimmers to watch the well received film, The Ponds (Still Waters Run Deep) at the Odeon Swiss Cottage? Then please see the details below about how to secure your tickets.
WE MUST SELL AT LEAST 42 TICKETS BY 17th FEBRUARY TO CONFIRM THE SCREENING |
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