Cottenham Pool - 40 Years of Open-air Swimming

19h45 CVC April 22, 2008

Apologies for the late notice.

Cottenham Swimming Pool nestling in the grounds of CVC behind that big grey fence is now well into its roaring forties. Well, I cannot quite imagine a swimming pool roaring but middle-age spread is yet to set in and the Pool committee is readying itself for the coming season.

As ever, we’ll need a strong team of qualified lifeguards to keep everyone swimmingly safe and volunteers to take the gate money and assist with the phone if there’s ever an emergency. Usual email address for enquiries or offers of help.

We’re hoping for a drier season this year, at least as far as the weather goes. When the weather lets us down, there are only a very few hardcore swimmers who take the plunge. But, when the weather’s fine, there is no nicer place to be than Cottenham’s little oasis.

We had some very generous support last year from the Jenny Kay Memorial Fund, Accio Marquees, Cottenham Newsletter, the Feast Committee, some of the local Fen Edge Parish Councils (Cottenham, Landbeach, Rampton, and Willingham), and from Fun Runners and Feast participants, our cake bakers, as well as you the swimmers, of course. Those donations, together with gate takings, have covered the maintenance and lifeguarding bills for the 2007 season and paid for the replacement of the water pump. So, once again, many thanks to our supporters.

Your support, both as a volunteer helper and financially, is needed now more than ever. Swimming pools rarely run at a profit, even indoor pools that are not affected by the changing weather survive only by supplementing their income with food and drink sales and optional extras such as sunbeds and saunas. Unfortunately, as a volunteer-run pool we cannot offer anything so grand. But, we can offer an escape and a chance to get fit with a sprightly forty-something.

We are now organising lifeguards and a timetable for the 2008 season and hope to begin swimming at the second May Bank Holiday weekend. So make sure you dig out your swimming kit from your summer drawer in plenty of time and if you or your company would like to support the Cottenham Pool this year, please get in touch.

Inspired by the book Liquid Assets and their shared passion for outdoor swimming Bob Holman & Dave Pratten intend to swim a mile in every outdoor pool or lido in the UK. Currently, the number stands at 98, 99 or 100 – they think one or two may have reopened. The challenge began in Somerset on May 19th 2007. Many of the pools are not heated and therefore their opening times are sometimes, but not always(!), limited to the summer months. It may take two summers, but they’re doing it for Save The Children, so please give generously.

They will enter the balmy waters of Cottenham Pool at 9am on August 9th (Thursday). You’re welcome to join them and, of course, make a donation!

New for 2007 is the option of ‘Public Hire’. The volunteer ‘Swimming Pool Association’ that runs the pool cannot afford to run sessions at all times, but you can choose extra times for the pool to be open.

If you want to swim outside the usual timetable:

A: choose a time a week in advance and pay 15 pounds for the booking: this fee covers an hour of swimming for 10 swimmers

B: give us the list of up to 10 swimmers (we are not asking for contact details, just forenames or initials are fine)

C: name 2 of the swimmers, or others who will be at the pool to spectate, as responsible adults who could assist the lifeguard in an incident (these adults must identify themselves to the lifeguard on duty when they arrive and must be present for the whole hour in order for the session to run)

The pool will then be open to the public for your extra hour,
with one lifeguard on duty. Swimmers on your named list will not need to pay an entry fee because their entry is covered by the booking charge. Other swimmers (those not on your list) will be allowed to swim under the normal arrangements for a ‘General Swim’ session (they pay the standard entry fee).

If we cannot open the pool because of no lifeguard is available or there is a problem with the pool itself, then we will refund your booking fee.  We cannot normally give refunds if you cancel because of (e.g.) weather conditions or other reasons.

Book at the pool, or by mailing cottenhamlifeguards@hotmail.com, or leave a message/text on the LidoPhone: 07948 255278.

If you or you child would like swimming lessons, then please let us know by telling the lifeguards at the pool (especially on Wednesday or Thursday when one of our swimming teachers is working there) or by email to cottenhamlifeguards@hotmail.com, or call and leave a message on (or text to) the LidoPhone: 07948 255278.  Please supply a postal address so that we can send registration forms to you.

We are running classes in the summer holidays. There is a course starting Monday 6th August. If there is enough interest we will run another course too. We also offer private tuition.

To help us organise classes, please let us know the age and swimming standard of the swimmer (e.g. complete beginner, can swim but needs to improve technique and stamina). Beginner lessons will be 11-11:30am and Improver lessons will be 11:30-12 noon.

The cost for the one-week course, i.e. one half-hour lesson per day for five days, is 25 pounds in total, to be paid in advance.

 Teaching will continue in most weather conditions - only in an incident where the pool must be cleared (e.g. thunderstorm) would we need to reschedule the lessons.

The weather was rather cruel to us on Saturday, and the Swimming Gala we ran as part of the Fen Edge Family Festival Fotos was nowhere near as well attended as it would have been had it not been pouring with rain! Still three hardy swimmers rose to the challenge and raced their lengths with all the familiar strokes. Thanks to Gill T for lifting and separating the floats along the lane dividers and to Laura D and Geoff R for running the show. As well as the lifeguards in attendance and the smattering of spectators for turning up.

That said, a lot of new faces popped their head round the gate on their way to and from the Colourdome and took timetables and flyers, so hopefully we’ll see some new swimmers in the coming weeks.

To celebrate 40 years of swimming and the relaunch of the Cottenham Pool website we’re making your swimming even more of a bargain than before!

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SWIMMING POOL MONEY-OFF COUPON

Print this coupon and bring it with you to get 50p off per person until the end of term (July 21, 2007) on Wednesday and Thursday afternoon general swims (3:30 to 5:00pm and 5:30 to 6:30pm)

Valid: June 12 to July 21, 2007 for the stated sessions only. One coupon per person only. Not exchangeable for cash.
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Maintaining, running, and lifeguarding a swimming pool is an expensive business. Most of us help out in a voluntary capacity, some tirelessly, others in smaller ways, but all essential to the splash-free running of the pool. But, for several years, the Pool has run from season to season with fraying armbands. This year, like most before it, could make or break the Pool, depending on the weather and gate money received.

Just as a matter of interest it costs the Pool Committee 420 pounds a week during the season to keep the Pool heated and the water-quality maintained. Lifeguard fees are on top of that. In our fortieth anniversary year it would be rather sad to discover that come season end we were massively in the red rather than the blue and so we are asking you and local businesses for direct financial support. As I said, 420 pounds would cover pool running costs for a week.

In return for (tax-deductable) donations of at least 200 pounds, which can be made via the Fen Edge Community Association (FECA) charity account, we are offering organisations, businesses, or individual donors a free one-hour private hire session with two qualified lifeguards in attendance. If you have a special occasion coming up or fancy a small corporate event with a big difference (great for team building), then a private hire at the Pool could be the perfect answer. Please get in touch if you would like to make a donation to the Cottenham Pool, however, small.

I’ve added a supporters and friends section to the right of this page, if we have missed anyone off please let us know. If you would like a link to your site in the list, send us a promise of a donation and we’ll get you signed up right away.

Ticket Prices: Adults £2.50, Concessions (Children and Senior Citizens) £2.00, Pre-schoolers FREE, Family (2+2) £7.50, Supersaver 12 swims for the price of 10.

Private Hire: £15 per hour for the pool itself,  plus £10 per hour per lifeguard. For 27 swimmers or fewer, and no play equipment in the pool, 1 lifeguard is enough. For more swimmers or for floats and toys in thepool, you need 2 lifeguards. Book 1 week in advance if at all possible, although sometimes hires can be arranged at short notice.

Remember! If you volunteer to supervise a session (i.e. assist the regular lifeguard and take gate money) you get a free swim at another session!

Extra ‘General Swim’ sessions: Saturday 16th June (9h00-11h00, 11h30-12h30) and Sunday 17th June (9h00-10h30).