Author: admin

Now that it’s dark when the pond opens at 7.00, with visibility often further reduced by rain or mist, it’s important for your own safety that the life guards can see you when you swim.

Orange or yellow fluorescent KLPA hats can be a solution for those who don’t get their heads wet and are available for £5 each from Mary Powell. To order email mary_powell@blueyonder.co.uk.

For those who swim with their head in the water, we have sourced some high-visibility fluorescent yellow silicon swimming caps which are available for £5 each from the lifeguards office. (Please note these are not the official KLPA swim caps which are available at the same price from cinnamon.catherine@gmail.com).

SATURDAY 26 OCTOBER: The temperature is dropping and we will soon be enjoying or enduring  winter swimming (the limit line will halve the size of the pond once the temperature falls below 12 degrees). Whether you are an old hand or considering swimming through the winter for the first time, you will be very welcome at our annual WINTER SWIMMERS’ BREAKFAST between 8 and 10 am, where, in addition to coffee and croissants, abundant supplies of practical advice and moral support will be on offer. Our website also has a section on winter swimming for anyone looking for background information.

A performance of new writing by Martha Watson Allpress in Highgate (Upstairs at the Gatehouse) on 24 September will feature Wild Mum, inspired by the author’s experiences of wild swimming with her mother.  See here for more information and ticket details.

Our fellow swimmers at the Men’s Pond have kindly invited us for breakfast and a swim at their pond on Saturday 12 October, between 8 and 10 am.  All KLPA members are welcome.

This year’s ARCHWAY WITH WORDS book festival runs from 14-21 September and will include a showing of The Ponds film (the hour-long version shown on TV) combined with readings from At the Pond by two of the contributors, Ava Wong Davies and Esther Freud.  Tickets can be booked here.

An invitation to all KLPA members from lifeguard Jane Smith:

Join us for the 2019 Ladies’ Pond Chatathon on Saturday 14 September.  Meet at 08.30 at the Lido for a swim then walk to the Mixed Pond for another swim, then walk to the Ladies’ Pond to swim and eat a shared brunch.  It’s easy, fun and free.  Bring food to share!

ALSO, join us to celebrate Autumn Equinox.  Gather at the Ladies’ Pond at 07.15 prompt, Friday 20 September, for a special moment.  Swim and bring food for a shared breakfast.

As some people will already have discovered, the Ladies’ Pond is currently experiencing a bloom of blue-green algae and you will find warning notices on the gate and the swimming deck. The water quality is being monitored and aerators and barley straw bales are being used to disrupt the growth of this naturally occurring organism.

At the moment, it is still considered safe to swim BUT please be aware that such blooms can be toxic to humans and have been known to cause rashes after skin contact and illness if swallowed. It is particularly important to avoid swallowing water and to shower thoroughly immediately after swimming.

Please talk to the lifeguards if you are concerned.

Daunt Publishing’s anthology of writing about the Ladies’ Pond was published last month to critical acclaim. Copies are available from Daunt bookshops and other online and bricks and mortar booksellers. More details here.

Some of you will be aware of the London Waterkeeper, a charity dedicated to protecting London’s rivers, and you may even have participated with other KLPA members in swimming in the Thames with the charity’s founder, Theo Thomas.

Swimmers may also be interested in signing this petition, which the charity is currently promoting, calling on OFWAT and the Environment Agency to step up action to stop pollution in London’s rivers.

As swimmers and sunbathers flock to the water – including the Ladies’ Pond – regular swimmer and former KLPA committee member, Cath Cinnamon, has suggested that members might be interested in this article about sunscreens.

OCEAN-FRIENDLY, RIVER-FRIENDLY SUNSCREENS