Category: Uncategorized

The Hampstead Heath Duathlon will take place on Sunday 4 September 2022, where participants swim at the Lido and bathing ponds, running between each location to complete a circuit of the Heath.  This event is managed by the City of London Corporation.

It means that the Ladies’ Pond will be closed for part of the morning, to allow lifeguards to set up the course, supervise the event and then clear up afterwards.  This usually means that the closure period will be approx. 8.30 and to 11.30 am.

By this date it should not be necessary to pre-book your swimming session, so the disruption to your morning swim can be offset with a later swim, without needing to pre-book.

Spectators may access the upper meadow during the Duathlon, so long as they are careful not to obstruct the runners as they arrive and leave via the main path and gate.

We hope that your morning swim is not too disrupted by this event, but please do co-operate with directions from the lifeguards whilst the Duathlon is taking place.

The KLPA will hold its monthly merchandise stall at the Ladies’ Pond, on Sunday 28 August 2022 from 9 am to 11 am.  We now have a new supply of silicon swimming hats in bright colours (pink, green and yellow) for just £5 each!  Books and mugs are also for sale and are only £10 each.  The seasonal set of KLPA mugs can be bought in sets of 4 for £35.  You can pay with cash, cheque or by card payment.

The bright coloured hats help with visibility for the lifeguards if you are swimming in poor light.  Although it may be difficult to imagine now, the morning light will soon be reduced as autumn arrives.  The hats, books and mugs all make great presents for friends and family too.

Help to support the work of the KLPA and join us at the merchandise stall on 28 August 2022.  We aim to keep our merchandise prices affordable so that they are accessible to as many swimmers as possible, and they all have a practical use.

EAST LONDON WATERWORKS PARK FUNDRAISING EXTENSION
In recent emails we have let members know about a crowdfunding appeal in aid of the East London Waterworks Park (ELWP) project. This aims to establish two bathing ponds in East London with free access to swimming. The crowdfunded has now been extended to 28 October 2022 having already reached over £231,000 (over £265,000 with Gift Aid.) They need to raise £500,000 by this date.

Recent press coverage in the Guardian can be seen here.

This project aims to convert a derelict industrial site next to the River Lea into a nature reserve which will welcome everyone from the local community. Keeping access to open water swimming free of charge is part of this aim for inclusivity, something that was once true of the Hampstead Heath bathing ponds. If you are able to make a donation please show your solidarity and support by clicking here.

You can read ELWP’s report of their inclusivity Listening Project here.

Signs such as the one pictured above are a common sight in countries like Australia where wildfire is a well understood danger.  In the last few weeks, unusually dry weather has led to wildfire outbreaks around London and similar signs might become a familiar feature in the UK too.  Disposable barbeques have been a particular issue recently.

The KLPA has been asked to remind members of the current fire risk on the Heath e.g. through discarded cigarettes or use of disposable barbeques.  Whilst smoking is not currently banned under Heath byelaws at the bathing ponds, it is strongly discouraged. Barbeques are not permitted at all.  There have been two recent incidents involving fire damage to the meadows at the Ladies’ Pond, believed to have been caused by a barbeque or open fire.  Fortunately these fires did not spread but could easily have done so, and they caused localised damage anyway. 

If you do see any careless disposal of cigarettes or use of barbeques at the Ladies’ Pond, please draw this to the attention of the staff on duty. Ideally, smoking should not be happening at all in such flammable conditions.

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On a more positive note, there is still time to contribute towards the crowdfunding appeal by the East London Waterworks Park Project.  This is a community led campaign to clean up a former Thames Water depot near Lea Bridge Road, restoring the natural environment and creating two bathing ponds.  The intention is that swimming here should be free of charge, so as to maintain inclusivity for the local community.  If you are able to, please consider donating by clicking the logo below:
 

Does this sound too good to be true?  Please read on…

In 2020 and 2021 the KLPA provided updates to members about a project being developed in East London, on the boundary of Waltham Forest and Hackney, near to Lea Bridge Road. This is the East London Waterworks Park which would redevelop a now derelict industrial site for the benefit of the local community.

This project has since been developed further, following an earlier crowd funding campaign in 2021 which allowed the development of a business plan.  The community group leading this project has also worked on an inclusivity plan and an engineering report in the meantime.  They have approached the landowner, and now need to raise £1m to show them that the East London Waterwork Park project is a serious proposition. 

The former Thames Water depot would be cleaned up and developed as a public open space, restoring the natural environment and making available a naturally cleaned year-round open water swimming place.  The plan is to keep access to swimming free of charge so that the local community can benefit from access to what we know to be such a beneficial activity.

A new crowd funding page has been set up and needs to reach £500,000 by 23 August 2022 to continue.  Already nearly £200,000 has been raised.  If you are able to, please consider donating to a project which will help to bring back inclusivity to open water swimming in London:

Further details of the project can be seen here:

The KLPA will hold its monthly merchandise stall, at the Ladies’ Pond, on Sunday 17 July 2022 from 9 am to 11 am.  We have books, mugs and knitted hats for sale and all still at just £10 each.  Knitted hats and mugs can be bought in sets of 4 for £35, including mix and match options. We can take cash, cheque or card payment.

The bright coloured hats help with visibility for the lifeguards if you are swimming in poor light (possibly not an issue in the middle of summer!). The books and mugs continue to make popular presents for friends and family.

Help to support the work of the KLPA and join us at the merchandise stall on 17 July 2022. We aim to keep our merchandise prices affordable so that they are accessible to as many swimmers as possible, and they all have a practical use.

After four months, we now have a decision on the Judicial Review which took place at the High Court on 23-24 February 2022. We can confirm the following brief information today and will write to members with more details as soon as there has been an opportunity to read the judgement in depth.

The claim for disability discrimination and failure to make reasonable adjustments has not been upheld by the High Court. This is of course disappointing news but we are pleased to have been able to support Christina Efthimiou in this case, which was very important to bring. We will also continue to campaign through other channels for the return of inclusivity at the bathing ponds, which had provided a safe and healing space for so many people in the past regardless of their income.

The KLPA would like to thank Christina Efthimiou for having the courage to pursue this important issue.  We would also like to thank the legal team at Leigh Day led by Kate Egerton, as well as our representative in Court Zoe Leventhal QC and her team at Matrix Chambers, for all of their hard work and dedication.

We will provide members with more detail when there has been an opportunity to analyse the contents of the judgement. 

Thank you to all KLPA members and to everyone else who has taken an interest too, your support is very much appreciated.

We have something to celebrate on Sunday 12 June 2022! 

In 2020, as a part of the Highgate Festival, the Ladies’ Pond swimmers and lifeguards were honoured with the award of a Pink Plaque (details here) and now we are able to get it installed. 

Our plaque is a part of a series which the festival organisers hope will:

“Discover the lives of some of Highgate’s most remarkable women – movers and shakers from our area’s past and present. By marking their existence with a plaque, we hope to draw attention to the famous, notorious and hidden women of our community.”

You can see more details of the project here describing the many outstanding women with Highgate connections who have been honoured, including Dido Belle, Florence Nightingale, Barbara Castle and Claudia Jones.

It was not possible to install this plaque during the Highgate Festival in 2020 and 2021 due to restrictions on gatherings.  This year the plaque will finally get pride of place at the Ladies’ Pond, with one plaque at the entrance and one to be attached to the buildings.

Join us on Sunday 12 June 2022 at 12.00 midday for the presentation of our Pink Plaque by festival organiser Alicia Pivaro, who is also a regular swimmer at the Ladies’ Pond. Local press photographers will be present for this event.

You may also be interested to know that the KLPA was involved in an exhibition of the history of the Ladies’ Pond at the Highgate Festival in 2019 (details here).

Join us in celebrating the women who have made the Ladies’ Pond such a special place for nearly 100 years, and give some thought to how we might celebrate our centenary in 2025/2026.

And …… KLPA merchandise stall is back

On Sunday 12 June 9-11am the KLPA will hold its monthly merchandise stall at the Ladies Pond. We will have hi-viz knitted hats, mugs and books for sale at £10 each.  Mugs and hi-viz knitted hats can be bought in bulk, four for £35 (including mix and match options).  We can take payment by cash, cheque or card.  The knitted hats help with visibility at the pond in poor light conditions so they are helpful to the lifeguards.  The hats, mugs and books all make great presents too.

The KLPA will be holding its monthly merchandise sale on Saturday 28 May 2022 from 9 to 11 am, at the Ladies’ Pond.  We will have hi-viz knitted hats, mugs and books for sale at £10 each.  Mugs and hi-viz knitted hats can be bought in bulk, four for £35 (including mix and match options).  We also have bright coloured silicon swim hats for sale at £5.  We can take payment by cash, cheque or card.  The knitted hats and silicon swim hats help with visibility at the pond in poor light conditions so they are helpful to the lifeguards.  The hats, mugs and books all make great presents too.

Judicial Review
Many of you have been asking about the progress of the recent Judicial Review, supported by the KLPA, to challenge the impact of the charging regime at the bathing ponds.  We are still waiting for a result from the High Court, and will let members know as soon as there is any news.

As summer approaches and the evenings draw out it will soon be time for another KLPA newsletter to appear, as if it were a part of the pond ecology.

The popularity of the KLPA Newsletter is down to the creative contributions we receive from members like you.  If you would like to contribute to the summer newsletter, please send your original work for inclusion by 5pm on Sunday 12 June 2022.

Wondering what to send?  How about an account of a new swimming place which you have discovered in the UK or beyond, or of another swimming group which you have met when out on such adventures.  Do you have an original poem or artwork to contribute?  Have you been involved in campaigns to support access to open water swimming places, or efforts to combat the pollution of these places?  If so, we would love to include these accounts in the newsletter, with supporting images.

Please email your contributions to klpamailbox@gmail.com by 5 pm on Sunday 12 June 2022.

Recently, the KLPA asked members for feedback on proposed adaptations to the changing room building at the Ladies’ Pond.  Members identified a number of issues with the City’s initial proposals including:

1. Creating a through route from the pathway, via the toilets to the changing rooms would create a congested space which may present challenges to some disabled swimmers e.g. those with a visual impairment or reduced mobility.
2. Having a combined accessible toilet and shower room, would reduce the availability of the accessible toilet.
3. Any adaptations to the buildings need to be preceded by rectifying the damp and drainage issues in the buildings, otherwise the adaptations are likely to fail

KLPA Committee members met with City managers, the architect, the City’s accessibility consultant and project managers on 5 May 2022 to discuss the proposals.  In the meantime we had received confirmation that the buildings constructed in 2016 did not comply with building regulations in respect of disability access in a number of ways when they went up (e.g. see photo above from accessibility report produced in 2018). 

Following the meeting on 5 May 2022 a series of alternative options has been proposed by the City and we would like your updated feedback.  This survey is open to all members, and weare particularly interested in feedback from members who have a disability and who want to comment on the 3 proposed layouts:

• Option 1 – Split the WC block in half, side to side. Two toilets accessed from the pathway and two accessed from changing room.  One of two inside WCs has grab rails. Combined accessible WC/shower room created, which is enlarged by removing the panelling in the existing accessible WC (plan here).
• Option 2 – Split the WC block in half, side to side.  Two toilets accessed from the pathway and two accessed from changing room.  One of two inside WCs has grab rails.  Combined accessible WC/shower room created, which is enlarged by removing the panelling in the existing accessible WC.  Create an enhanced additional changing cubicle inside main changing room (plan here).
• Option 3 – Leave WC block much as it is now but one WC cubicle has grab rails. Combined accessible WC/shower room created, which is enlarged by removing the panelling in the existing accessible WC (plan here).

Now, please answer the brief survey below (closes at 6pm on Friday 20 May 2022): 

The City has decided not to alter the external shower area at this stage but we have emphasised the need to rectify the drainage issues here, as well as damp elsewhere in the buildings. Otherwise the adaptations are likely to fail.

There are some relatively quick fixes such as more pegs in the changing cubicles which have been agreed to.

If you have any further comments which you would like to share with the City, 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 continued input on this subject.