Main pool at Carlisle baths to close to public in evenings
Last updated at 11:55, Tuesday, 25 January 2011
The main swimming pool at Carlisle’s The Pools will be closed to the public in the evenings under plans drawn up by Carlisle Leisure.
The company runs the complex in James Street for Carlisle City Council. It wants to give exclusive use to Carlisle Aquatics, a new organisation which brings together swimming and water polo clubs in Carlisle with encouragement from the national swimming body the ASA.
At present the main, 33-metre pool is open for general swimming on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings, although use is reserved for clubs on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
If the changes come in, at the end of February at the earliest, evening swimmers will have to use the 20-metre pool instead. Some are not happy.
Andrew Jones, 45, is a regular visitor on Monday nights with his 10-year-old son. He said: “For some people it’s the only time they can use it. I use the big pool while my son and his friend use the smaller pool. If adults use the smaller pool where are the children going to go?”
But Andy King, managing director of Carlisle Leisure, defended the changes.
He said: “Our programme hasn’t changed much for years. It doesn’t reflect latent demand.
“There is a demand for more lane swimming and fitness swimming. The club wants to meet that.
“There will be lots of people who will be quite happy with the 20-metre pool, but those that aren’t will still be able to get access to the larger pool as a member of Carlisle Aquatics.”
Carlisle Leisure is consulting users on the proposals through feedback forms at The Pools’ reception desk.
Other ideas include opening earlier on some mornings so people can swim before they start work.
Mr King said the consultation would continue for “a couple of weeks” before a decision was taken.
First published at 11:41, Tuesday, 25 January 2011
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk
Due to the lack of appropriate facilities and pooltime available to the clubs, as a waterpolo player I travel to Liverpool twice a week just to get enough training to compete at a national and international level. I have to balance this around Alevels, a job and all the work experience/volunteer work neccessary to get into a good uni.
To those of you who say it will disrupt your time after work as you have to go later/earlier to the pool at your own inconvenience, try driving 2 1/2 hours, training for 2 hours, driving 2 1/2 hours back, get home at about 1am then get up for school at 7am!!!There is plenty of people in Carlisle dedicated to their sport. Many people i know from the clubs have to travel this far for training. Competitions are even harder, mainly because home games just arnt an option due to the lack of time and innapropiate depth of the pool.Cities such as Manchester and Liverpool have 6/7+ 25m pools available and 1/2+ 50m pools available to their population. These all get used as they are good facilities. They probabaly have the same population : pool ratio that we have. The clube pay more than their fair share for the facilities they use and are the only reason James st is still open for the public to use atm! And to say we should hire a private pool... find the clubs a 25m 6 laned swimming pool within a few miles of the city and then we will leave you blessed James st pool in peace.View all 91 comments on this article
Have your say
Well what can I say... comments are getting rather off track. commenting on what time Children are still up !!!! People need to grow up and accept things need to change for the better.Why are the public not engaging that there are other pools Morton Is open to Ladies only nights etc please give them ago before you make judgement. This is the future for our children why hold them back !!!!
Posted by N W on 19 February 2011 at 00:27