Author: Vicky Joseph

Unfortunately the Ladies’ Pond was closed today (4 October) due to recent poor results from water quality tests (E-Coli).  We are awaiting further news from the City of London but it will not be possible for the pond to re-open until satisfactory test results are received.  

We are also awaiting news of alternative swimming arrangements, though the Mixed Pond will be available during normal opening hours for mixed swimming.

Updates can be seen at our Twitter feed @KLPA1985 

If you have swum since the pond re-opened on 26 September 2020 and experienced any ill-effects which might be linked to this continuing problem, please inform Hampstead Heath Management at:

Bob.Warnock@cityoflondon.gov.uk
Anne.Fairweather@cityoflondon.gov.uk
HH-Swimming@cityoflondon.gov.uk

and please copy your email to klpamailbox@gmail.com

The Heath Superintendent Bob Warnock has informed us that the Ladies’ Pond will reopen from 7am on Saturday 26 September 2020. 

The opening times will be as follows: 

– Kenwood Ladies’ Bathing Pond 7am-4.30pm (vacate by 4.45pm) 

– Highgate Men’s Bathing Pond 7am-4.30pm (vacate by 4.45pm) 

– Hampstead Mixed Bathing Pond 7am-4.30pm (vacate by 4.45pm) 

– Parliament Hill Lido 7am-1pm (vacate by 1.30pm)

They are still awaiting the results of the testing undertaken by Thames Water. The Environment Agency also collected samples from the Ladies’ Pond and these results are expected by Monday.  

Detailed water quality test results for all three ponds can be seen here.

Meanwhile the KLPA has raised concerns directly with the City of London about the frequency of testing and when Heath managers became aware of the sewage leak. 
Any comments which you have on the frequency of tests and the results should be sent to:

Bob.Warnock@cityoflondon.gov.uk
Anne.Fairweather@cityoflondon.gov.uk
HH-Swimming@cityoflondon.gov.uk
Please copy to klpamailbox@gmail.com

In other news – the KLPA has just received a copy of a report into governance of the City of London Corporation, written by Lord Lisvane and due to be considered by the City in the coming months.  Amongst other things it recommends the abolition of the Hampstead Heath, Highgate Woods & Queen’s Park Management Committee as well as the Hampstead Heath Consultative Committee.  Decisions would in future be taken by a single Open Spaces Committee governing all of the City’s open spaces in and around London.  More information to follow.

We have just received a further update from the City of London concerning the sewage leak, the continued closure of the Ladies’ Pond, alternative swimming arrangements and applications for season tickets.

The sewage blockage has now been cleared and the water quality test results are being monitored to determine when the Ladies’ Pond can re-open. As it is currently not clear how long this will take, from Monday, Ladies’ Pond swimmers can use either the Mixed Pond or the Lido. 
 
The Mixed Pond will be open 7am-4.30pm for mixed swimming and ladies’ only swimming between 4.45-6.30pm.  

The Lido will be open 7am-1.00pm for mixed swimming and ladies’ only swimming between 1.30-4.30pm. 
 
Currently these arrangements will be in place until Friday 25 September. If the Ladies’ Pond is able to be opened before that, the Winter Season hours and arrangements will be reinstated. Should the Ladies’ Pond be closed past Friday 25 September further arrangements will be considered. 
 
Staff will be at the Ladies’ Pond to inform swimmers of the closure, to advise about alternative swimming arrangements and to hand out season ticket wristbands.
  
Due to the COVID-19 secure arrangements in place at the Men’s Pond, ladies will not be permitted to swim there. 
 
In relation to season tickets – from Monday swimmers can make paper applications at the Ponds, the Lido and the Parliament Hill Office. Swimmers can make cash payments for their season ticket at the Lido. Card payments will be taken at the Parliament Hill Office and the Lido. 

Swimmers applying at the Bathing Ponds will be contacted by a member of staff to make a phone payment in due course. Swimmers are asked to bring along a copy of their supporting information when applying for a concession or free Morning Swim season ticket. 
  
The paper application form can also be used to apply for a free Accompanying Carer season ticket. Swimmers who apply for their season tickets online can email HH-Swimming@cityoflondon.gov.uk for information on how to obtain a free Accompanying Carer season ticket.

On Sunday afternoon we will be joining Forum ‘71 and the Hampstead Men’s Pond Association (HMPA) to protest against the new enforced charging regime. This event, whilst following Covid- secure guidelines, will also be a social one with an opportunity to share ideas.

Please come and join us – wear a brightly coloured swimming cap if you have one, bring paper-chains two meters long and placards – the theme is ‘locked out’. This will be an inclusive, enjoyable, safe event that will hopefully have some impact.

The schedule is as follows:

2 – 3pm: Several groups of a maximum of six people each, led by members of HMPA, KLPA and Forum ’71, will share information on what has happened to date: –

1. A presentation of the survey findings (you can read them here). 
2. A talk about canvassing, HMPA history and future events.
3. A presentation of the Forum ’71 manifesto.
4. An explanation of the Forum ’71 approach.
5. Media articles.
6. A brief history of KLPA and the action over the past few months.

3 – 3.30pm: We will encircle the Pond, staying two metres away from each other and divided by ribbons or paper chains. We will then pose for the press photographer!

4pm: Disperse

We hope to see you there!

The Ladies’ Pond is currently closed due to a blockage in a sewer that runs across the Heath, causing a sewage leak within the woodland north of the Pond meadow.

Thames Water have been on-site and are currently jetting the blocked sewer working from the Stock Pond. The Conservation Supervisor was also in attendance and the Hampstead Heath team have promised to keep us informed as the work to unblock the sewer progresses. 

This afternoon independent water testing for both the Ladies’ Pond and the Men’s Pond took place but it takes 48 hours to obtain the results. Unfortunately the Ladies’ Pond will not be able to be reopened until Thames Water have resolved the sewer leak and have received the results of the water quality test results. 

Cancelled sessions from today have already been refunded. Tomorrow morning the pre-booked sessions for Saturday and Sunday will be refunded.  

The Heath team say that they are working hard to minimise the disruption and inconvenience to swimmers.

The City of London has agreed its proposed measures for charging and management of the Ponds for the winter season. (KLPA members have previously been sent a summary of these proposals.) 

1. Online pre-booking of swims, will end on 21 September 2020. The City argued it was necessary to control numbers during the summer season when the ponds re-opened following the COVID-19 lockdown.  They believe the reduced swimmer numbers during winter will be easier to control on a one-in-one-out basis.
2. The controversial “Option 3” to enforce charges will be introduced in full, collected either through season ticket payments or day charges (£4 full price and £2.40 concession). In addition to contactless payment cash payment is being maintained for the time being using the old contribution posts.
3. Season tickets will take the form of electronic wristbands to be scanned on the way in. Existing season ticket holders will be sent their wristbands and sales of new season tickets will resume in time for the winter season until late October before handover to the Winter Swimmers’ Club.
4. The telephone “support line” (020 7332 3779) will remain open 9 -11 am on weekdays for those who do not have internet access to purchase season tickets.
5. The “Support Scheme”, replacing the planned Hardship Fund, was approved. There was some acknowledgement that the list of benefits for concessions was out of date. 

Free swim sessions for under 16s and over 60s from 7.00-9.30 am were agreed, though there was some acknowledgement that the timings may be problematic e.g. pressure when other swimmers are heading for work, and it clashes with times for free travel for older swimmers.

Our campaign against the enforcement of inflated charges continues. The KLPA is liaising actively with several local MPs who are supportive and is working with solicitors Leigh Day to identify potential discrimination claims.
 
An excellent summary of our reasons for opposing the new charging regime can be seen here in an email exchange initiated by former KLPA Chair Nicky Mayhew, ahead of the Management Committee meeting. 

On Monday 14 September 2020 at 5-6pm, local newspaper Ham & High is holding an online Question & Answer session with Anne Fairweather (Management Committee Chair) and City of London officers Colin Buttery and Bob Warnock. This will be about the new charging regime and management of the bathing ponds.  Details of how to register and submit a question can be found here.  Please contact Michael.Boniface@Archant.co.uk.

Just prior to the Ponds reopening post lockdown, a new campaign group emerged, separate to any of the Pond Associations, called Forum ‘71. This group is actively campaigning primarily for the reversal of ‘compulsory payments’ for entry to the Ponds, whilst trying to both maintain and preserve the ethos and integrity of these special places. 
 
As Forum ’71 was campaigning for very similar results to the KLPA, at the start of the summer the KLPA committee decided to maintain informal contact with them. Two KLPA committee members, Harriet Wills and Lucy Zanetti, met with two members of Forum ’71 to create a direct channel of communication between the two organisations, to prevent splitting or misunderstanding and hopefully in the longer term trying to find a way to integrate our voices in a potent way. After several meetings this group grew, with Highgate Men’s Pond Association committee members Geoff Goss and Onur Teymur joining. 

Invaluably Forum ‘71 continued to organise several protests, serving to keep the campaign alive in people’s minds and in the press. It was at this point we thought it would be important for us to find a way to come together more openly by forming an ‘umbrella’ protest, unifying to say ‘no to compulsory payments’ (allowing for a right to choose to pay).  We developed the concept for the protest  ‘Locked Out!’
 
Forum ’71 invite you to be part of this protest (see flyer attached here) on 20 September 2-4pm at the Boating Pond.

– Due to current regulations on such gatherings we are planning to break up into groups of no more than six people situated at various locations over the Heath in the hope to have a widespread impact. Social distancing will also be observed and we will be encouraging participants to wear and bring their own masks with a variety of pond related slogans.  

– Bring placards of your own making, come along with a clear message and positive attitude to promote our cause and celebrate the ponds in our lives. 

– We will be behaving respectfully at all times to Heath staff and members of the wider public.

We hope to see you there!

Should you need more details please contact contact@saveourponds.org (not the KLPA email address).

Below is the viewing link for the next meeting of the Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park Management Committee which will take place virtually at 4pm on 9 September 2020. The papers for the meeting are attached here.

Please continue to send your written comments on the revised proposals for the Winter Swimming Season (summary attached here) to the Committee Chair and Clerk:

Anne.Fairweather@cityoflondon.gov.uk
leanne.murphy@cityoflondon.gov.uk

Thank you for your continued support and efforts.

Please also note that the campaign group Forum 71 (Save Our Ponds), which is also opposed to the enforcement of increased swimming charges, is currently running an online petition via 38 Degrees which can be seen and signed here.

Earlier this week we posted feedback from the recent Swimming Forum meeting along with details of the City of London’s proposals for managing the bathing ponds during the winter season from 21 September 2020.  Those proposals will now be put to the Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park Management Committee when it meets virtually on 9 September 2020.  We have again asked for a link to a live public gallery and await the City’s reply.

KLPA members have continued to provide detailed feedback on these proposals.  Thank you to everyone who has written to the City of London about their concerns.  Already this has made some impact e.g. cash payments being accepted for day tickets at the ponds for the time being instead of contactless-only payment.  There is still much to change, and we are asking members once again to use their commitment to and knowledge of the Ponds to communicate with the decision makers.

Please find attached here a proforma email which can be used to send to the Management Committee before it meets. The email is addressed to the Chair of the Committee (Anne Fairweather) and the Committee Clerk (Leanne Murphy).  It contains some of the key concerns but can be added to and personalised with your own views.

The City of London has today launched its own survey and wants to know about your recent swimming experiences, so please do give your feedback here.

Thank you for your continued commitment.  The KLPA is a membership-based organisation and the input of individual members is essential.

On 25 September representatives of all the Swimmers’ Associations attended an online meeting with City of London representatives.  Please find attached here the main proposals which were discussed and which will now be put forward to the Hampstead Heath Management Committee when it meets on 9 September.  The Swimming Forum recording can now be seen here.

1. The City of London is persisting in enforcing the inflated charges to swim, despite our many pleas for them to show humanity in the midst of a pandemic and during a period of economic crisis.
2. Swimming charges will be collected either through an electronic wristband for season tickets or contactless payment for day charges (wristbands may be introduced for day tickets as well).  Both methods give rise to concerns about privacy.
3. The insistence on contactless payment will exclude anyone who does not have access to this type of payment or who is worried about her privacy.  Transactions listed on bank statements may risk harm to women living with coercive controlling domestic abusers.
4. The City of London promotes the season tickets as a cost effective option – for now.  City representatives did not appreciate that the up-front payment for a season ticket, even at concessionary levels, is prohibitive to swimmers on low incomes.  Also there is no guarantee that season ticket charges will be “reasonable” after they are reviewed for 2021/22.
5. The “Support Scheme” (the re-branded non-existent Hardship Fund used to justify the Option 3 decision last March) is not fit for purpose as the list of who would qualify for a concession is out of date and limited.  For example, people receiving Universal Credit are not mentioned.
6. The other two Support Scheme options (partnership working and time credits) appear to be an attempt to define the deserving poor and make swimmers work for their support, in the spirit of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act.
7. The proposed free swimming for under 16s and over 60s before 9.30 am has produced mixed reactions from our members.  The proposed time frame will put pressure on those trying to swim before work, and will contradict the times of day when free travel on public transport is available for older swimmers.

The KLPA has in previous communications referred to exclusion, social cleansing and gentrification at the bathing ponds.  We encourage members to continue sending their concerns to Hampstead Heath managers at the addresses below, and to keep writing to their local representatives.

Anne.Fairweather@cityoflondon.gov.uk
Bob.Warnock@cityoflondon.gov.uk
HH-Swimming@cityoflondon.gov.uk

Please copy your emails to klpamailbox@gmail.com