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CELEBRATING SWIMMING Ponds and lido combined to celebrate summer swimming on the heath: June 2024 It hadn’t really been a summer for outdoor parties and the stoic volunteers carried food protected by carrier bags through yet another downpour. Then just before 6pm the rain stopped, the evening sun pushed past the heaped grey clouds, sparkled over the water and lit up the lido walls. The doors opened to welcome the queue of cold-water swimmers who had come to party. The water temperature was still cool and the sauna quickly filled with chatty people but with the scent of the BBQ rising over the shallow end they soon formed a queue for food. The incredible well-organized team put on an huge spread of salads of all kinds, burgers and vegan options, cakes and puddings, limitless wine and beer. Wonderful bluesy music from talented band Mercy Zone produced good vibes and a bit of dad dancing. The damp air, the luck of having evening sun and the generosity of the food made for a relaxed easy-going and very enjoyable evening.
Affordable Swimming Campaign: Concessions Survey Shows What's Needed Many swimmers who are eligible for a free morning swim in the Hampstead Heath bathing ponds don’t take advantage of that benefit because they would need to use public transport to get there and are put off by the bus and tube fares, according to the latest survey of pond users and would-be pond users. The survey also showed that many who would prefer to swim later in the day and are eligible for a 40% discount on the pond-entry fee avoid the ponds because they consider even the concessionary price to be unaffordable. The three pond-users associations—HMPA, KPLA and MPA—conducted the survey in September and are using the results to lobby the City of London for three changes:
We presented these findings to the City’s Hampstead Heath Sports and Wellbeing Forum and await the City's response. The survey was conducted between 20 and 29 September 2023 and drew 515 responses from the approximately 1,800 members of the three pond-user associations. Here is a synopsis of the results:
Those swimming later, out of preference rather than necessity, seem to number about 30, based on responses written in; some cited combined health and travel needs—for example, trying to avoid crowded public transport before 9.30 am.
In respect of possible additional concessions, 55.7% of all respondents thought they would be unlikely to qualify for any further concession. Concessions for those on low and irregular income were supported by 17.3%, no recourse to public funds by 6%, carer by 5.6%, under 18 NEET by 2.5% and care leaver under 25 years by 2.5%. Additional possibilities written in included keyworker/NHS/charity employees and those on statutory maternity pay or unpaid maternity leave. Mixed Pond Association AGM 2023
The Mixed Pond Association elected new leadership at its annual general meeting on 19th June 2023. Margaret Dickinson and Felicity Moir were chosen to serve as co-chairs for 2023-24. Geoff von Sonsbeek will serve as treasurer and Nilani Chandradeva as secretary. Other members of the new committee: Richard Boudreaux, Adrian Boylan, Victoria Brittain, Jillian Edelstein, Spencer Hyman, Darian Leader, Charles Marks, Nick Philliips, Mary Pollock, Mike Sands, Kasia Sikora, Lucy Springett and Stephen Yates. The meeting, held on Zoom, reviewed the past season and agreed on plans for the current one. Outgoing officers reported that MPA membership grew by 4%, to 225, in 2022 and that income for the year exceeded expenses by £827.65. See the full set of minutes for more on membership, revenue, expenses, tea parties, the ongoing construction works and more. If you have any comments, questions, suggestions or would like to offer your help to the MPA committee, please email us at [email protected] PREVIOUS ANNOUNCEMENTS: USER GROUPS MEETING NOTES & CHARGING/CHANGES 26 February 2020 This meeting for members of the pond users’ associations, was called at short notice when swimmers’ representatives feared that the City was not listening to their views over the future management of the ponds. Fears were confirmed when on February 24th the City unveiled their intentions at the Sports Forum. We now know that despite a supposed consultation with swimmers reps which began in January 2020 and involved many hours of meetings the City is proposing, against the advice of all the associations, to double day charges (to £4 per adult) and to enforce them strictly, probably by staffing the entrances to the pond enclosures. The full set of proposals and options considered can be found summarised in this article. The background to this is quite complicated and for those who do not know it there is a short summary at the end of this report. Attendance at the meeting was counted as 103, (36 from the HMPA, 55 from the KLPA, 14 from the MPA 6 from the Lifebuoys and one from the USA) Proceedings were moderated by Marc Hutchinson, Chair of the Heath and Hampstead Society. Speakers were Chris Piesold from the HMPA and Nicola Mayhew from the KLPA. Margaret Dickinson from the MPA responded to questions relating to the Mixed Pond. Chris provided some background about the financial situation. This year the City expects the new pond staffing bill will be £300,000 plus above previous costs. There has been increased expenditure for summer problems over the last two years but the picture of ever rising costs the City presents is not quite accurate. Over the last ten years inflation adjusted net expenditure has been cut 36% for the Heath as a whole and 9% for the ponds. The % of expenditure recovered from income has doubled in the last 10 years indicative of the City's apparent intention to commodify the Heath to the maximum extent. City’s cash, the fund from which the expenses are paid, had net assets of £2.7 billion in 2019. Nicola reported on the background, the present consultation and the position taken by the KLPAS and other associations. There was a lively discussion during which many speakers stressed the unique character of the ponds and criticised the notion that they can be compared to open air lido or water sports venues. Most contributions supported the stand taken by the associations in opposing increased charges and heavy handed enforcement; about three speakers cast doubt on this position. THE FOLLOWING MOTIONS WERE PUT TO THE VOTE AND AGREED BY A LARGE MAJORITY OF THOSE ATTENDING
Brief background to charging at the Hampstead Heath Ponds. Until 2005 swimming was free and the running costs of the ponds were provided by the Heath management which before 1987 was the GLC. Following the abolition of the GLC, the City of London took over management in 1989. In 2005 the City was looking to reduce its costs and shocked Heath and pond users by proposals to close the Mixed Pond and reduce hours at the remaining ponds. After a major public campaign a compromise was reached whereby swimming was not radically curtailed and the present charges for swimming were introduced but were not rigorously enforced. This scheme in practice did not bring in as much revenue as the City hoped. The City assert that this is because few swimmers are willing to pay but the swimmers’ associations maintain that the City failed to introduce efficient methods to pay. For many years the associations have been telling the City that there is a lack of clear information about how to pay, that the payment machines are often out of order and that it is not easy to get a season ticket. Only this year has it been possible to pay for a season ticket online and even now you do not receive a ticket or even receipt unless you go to the lido. The present push by the City to reduce costs follows a report by the Health and Safety Executive which recommended that the City increase the staffing of the ponds which will clearly put up costs. The City started a consultation with the swimming associations in January this year about measures they wish to introduce in May. The process for doing this will be to put a proposal to the Heath Consultative Committee on March 9th which will in turn make a recommendation to the Heath Management Committee on March 11th. The public may attend but not speak at these meetings. During the consultation with the swimmers’ reps the City outlined a series of options about the scale of charges and method of enforcement. The swimmers’ rep.s strongly recommended that for the coming season the City adopt the option of minimal change while putting right the problems with information and payment. In those circumstances they offered to cooperate with these improvements and encourage a culture whereby people play unless they cannot afford to or have strong objections on principle. Instead the Superintendent of Hampstead Heath intend to put to the management Committee the option involving the doubling day charges combined with strict enforcement. The season ticket, however, will be held at the current price this season and more concessions are suggested.
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