Month: April 2022

We are about to update the membership list and will be holding this information on our new online system “MemberMojo“. 

MemberMojo is a UK based company which is GDPR compliant.  It will be used by the KLPA to maintain membership records in one secure place, and this company will not send you marketing emails or sell on your data.

Many members have joined or renewed using this system already.  Existing members who are life members, or who pay by bank transfer/standing order will have their details transferred here too so that all data is held securely in one place. By using MemberMojo we aim to avoid holding different parts of our membership data in different places.

Next March, annual members will start to receive renewal reminders via MemberMojo with a link to use to pay for their 2023 membership.  This will also encourage all members to align their renewal date with our membership cycle of 1 April to 31 March.  Whilst you can continue to renew your membership using bank transfer or cash payment, we hope that most members will opt to renew via MemberMojo next year.  If you do so but have previously paid by standing order, please remember to cancel your standing order in time so that you do not pay twice!  You do not need to have access to internet banking to renew via MemberMojo as this is done through card payment via the secure payment system “Stripe”.

If you are a life member you should not receive any reminders from MemberMojo but we will use this system to maintain our records of your membership.

Membership Privacy Notice

IMPORTANT: By providing this information you agree to the KLPA storing your details and contacting you when we have information to communicate.  We will NOT share your data with any other organization or individual other than to carry out our core functions, for which we currently use the following external services: MemberMojo to administer your membership details, and Mailchimp to send communications to you by email.

The City of London Corporation is proposing to make alterations to the existing changing rooms at the Ladies’ Pond.  The buildings went up in 2016 but it soon became evident that there were problems with their accessibility and construction.  The proposed works are intended to improve accessibility and to resolve some of the persistent problems with damp and drainage.   There have been several periods of closure to address serious maintenance issues since 2016.

We are seeking your views on this project which, if it gets planning permission, might be undertaken between November 2022 and May 2023. (This timeframe includes work being undertaken at the Men’s and Mixed Ponds.)  We have been assured that it should not be necessary to close the Ladies’ Pond to do this work, but there will be operatives on site during opening hours to carry out the works. 
 
The City is proposing to enlarge the accessible toilet cubicle to include a shower, and this will reduce the size of the main toilet block.  They are proposing to remove the back wall of the main toilet block and open up a route directly into the changing rooms, which will mean the loss of one changing cubicle but easier access to the toilets. Some of the hand basin facilities lost due to the removal of the internal wall would need to be mounted on the external wall near the door into the main toilet block.  In addition, alterations to the external shower area are being considered which may address some of the damp and drainage problems here.

The KLPA would also like to know your views on the use of changing gazebos in various areas at the Ladies’ Pond.

Please take a look at this diagram and then answer the questions in the brief survey here:

https://klpa.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0e871ffde380e120f7dffe46c&id=40125e39a7&e=878d13563e

The KLPA survey will be open until 6pm on Tuesday 26 April 2022.  We intend to share a report of the survey results with the City i.e. overall percentages and anonymised additional comments (where these help to highlight any particular concerns).

The City is also conducting a survey on these alterations which asks one open-ended question about the proposals at question 4.  Please complete the City’s survey too if you have the opportunity.

If you would like to provide more detailed feedback to the City of London Corporation about these proposals, or anything which you think is missing, please email via the addresses below and copy to klpamailbox@gmail.com.

HH-Swimming@cityoflondon.gov.uk
Stefania.Horne@cityoflondon.gov.uk (Heath Superintendent) 

Thank you for your input.

In recent years the discharge of raw sewage into Britain’s waterways has led to widespread campaigning and protests. Our own local water company Thames Water is regarded as a prominent polluter. It has received extensive media coverage, including accounts of fines for dumping raw sewage into the River Thames and other regular discharges into tributaries such as the River Lea (more here). The Ladies’ Pond itself has  also been affected by contamination incidents from a nearby Thames Water damaged sewer in recent years.

On 23 April 2022, campaign group Surfers Against Sewage is holding a series of protests around the country to call for an end to “permitted” sewage pollution by the UK water companies.  This includes a protest in London, by the side of the River Thames at the Embankment.  This will take place from 1 pm and further event details can be seen here (this Facebook page is visible to non-Facebook-users).

Cleaner seas, wetlands and rivers will mean more places that are safe for swimming, but this is also essential for the continued survival of the plants and animals which depend on those habitats. More information about the campaign work of Surfers Against Sewage can be seen here.

STILL TIME TO RENEW YOUR KLPA MEMBERSHIP BY END OF APRIL 2022

If you pay for annual membership, and have not done so yet, please renew by the end of April 2022.  We will be updating our mailing list after this date and anyone who has not paid will be removed from the list.  We update the mailing list annually to ensure that we meet data protection requirements too.

WHY RENEW?

• Receive news about the KLPA’s campaigning work to restore and maintain inclusivity at the bathing ponds.
• Find out about unexpected closures of the pond e.g. bad weather.
• Get regular updates about KLPA social events.
• Receive news about other relevant campaigns and activities which may interest you e.g. local planning applications affecting Millfield Lane, or campaigns about access to open water swimming and the reduction of water pollution.
• Have regular opportunities to feed back to the KLPA with your views on issues which affect the Ladies’ Pond, to inform our discussions with the City of London Corporation.
• Get regular updates about the activities of the KLPA Committee and receive information about how you can become more involved.
• Find out about KLPA merchandise and where to buy it.

Annual membership is still just £5 and there are also life membership options.  KLPA membership is separate to the charges to swim which are levied by the City of London Corporation.  To renew your membership please go to our website and click “join us”.

The City of London Corporation has announced via Twitter that the bathing ponds will be closed tomorrow due to “high winds”.  Further updates can be seen here. 

Currently no Met Office weather warnings are in force but this may change.  Details can be seen here.

If you require further information please contact the City of London Corporation via:

HH-Swimming@cityoflondon.gov.uk (please copy to klpamailbox@gmail.com).

If we get more information in the meantime, this will be posted on the website.

Our friends from the Highgate Men’s Pond Association have invited KLPA members to a swim and breakfast event at the Men’s Pond on Saturday 9 April 2022, from 8 am to 11 am.

Hot drinks and croissants will be provided, along with the company of our friends from the Men’s Pond. The invitation has also been extended to the Mixed Pond Association, Hampstead Heath Winter Swimming Club and Parliament Hill Lido swimmers.

In order to access the Men’s Pond it will be necessary to use your season ticket wristband or to pay at the entrance, as you would at the Ladies’ Pond. The changing area at the Men’s Pond is no longer divided into two sections but gazebos have been provided to facilitate changing for Ladies’ Pond visitors (a large towel might also come in useful).

Children over 8 who have completed their swim test (and have a wristband to prove it) will also be welcome, and will need to be supervised by their adult when at the pond.

If this is not enough excitement for one weekend, the KLPA will be holding a merchandise sale at the Ladies’ Pond on Sunday 10 April 2022, 9-11 am. Knitted hats (including a new pink edition), seasonal mugs and Wild Swimming Walks books will be on sale for £10 each (hats and mugs can be bought in sets of 4, including mix and match combinations, for £35). Silicon hats are still available for £5. Payment can be taken by cash or card.

Please remember to renew your membership if you pay annually, as this is now due for renewal for 2022. You can do so here with MemberMojo, and details of life membership options are also available.