Leonard Stanley outdoor pool
Leonard Stanley Primary School has the rare benefit of an outdoor swimming pool run and funded solely by Friends of Leonard Stanley School (FOLSS), who are volunteers.
FOLSS really want to reopen the pool this June and make essential improvements for future generations of users. Without these upgrades to the pool facilities, there may be health and safety risks which result in the pools closure, and this will be a massive loss to the school and the community.
Who will benefit?
Not only does the pool support the school to achieve a curriculum aim for all children to leave primary school with a basic ability to swim, but also provides a real affordable, safe and secure community hub for kids and adults alike to swim and socialise outside of school hours and holidays. And we know with the pool being unable to open for the 2020 season, the pupils and community have really missed it.
How much will it cost?
We can’t generate all the funding for the improvements required alone (£64,000) and so are looking to you to help us fund some these changes via Crowdfunding.
We would like to Crowdfund £14,000, this will get the pool open, heated and provide an automatic chemical system.
See our targets for more information
Please do support us and donate to this great cause.
Don't forget to fill out the Gift Aid form if you are eligible, this will make your money go further with no extra cost to you.
And if you want to find out more about the project please read on....
Why the need for improvements?
Built in 1960s, the pool was closed last season due to COVID19 and requires some investment to reopen and stay open for future generations. We are faced with a great opportunity to bring the pool up-to-date to allow more people, including less mobile users, to enjoy the benefits of swimming.
The improvements we would like to make include:
- Pool safety improvement
- Heating the pool
- Upgraded changing rooms
Leonard Stanley pool takes a different approach to many other outdoor pools as:
• It is one of the few outdoor pools left in the UK on a primary school site, run and funded by volunteers (FOLSS).
• The school is open to allow access to the pool by the community outside of school hours, weekends and holidays.
• All the adults and children who use the pool go through CPR training on a yearly basis which is an essential life skill.
The access the school offers the community to this facility is truly unique. The link between school, volunteers and community is a why this proposal is generally different. It supports the school achieve a curriculum objective while offering a real affordable, safe and secure community hub for kids and adults alike to socialise outside of school hours.
Community consultation
To guide the upgrades a survey was carried out with current and potential pool users to understand their requirements. The results revealed:
• Heating - 89% surveyed would like the pool to be heated and 95% would use the pool more with many parents stating they will not go in the pool with their kids as a family as the pool is too cold. The pool temperature can be as low at 14oc.
• Changing room upgrade - 43% would like the changing rooms upgraded. The changing room’s drainage is not sufficient and it becoming a health and safety issue for the pool.
While gathering the surveys many stories where provided by individuals around the community of multiply generations learning to swim at the pool. Also how the pool build was funded by the community in the 1960s, with a current students grandad providing £10,000 for the original build.
How the project will improve people’s lives
In 2019, there were 270 registered users of the school pool. This is individuals/families who pay £30 to access the pool outside of school hours, weekends and school holidays. Plus we would like to expand the use to pre-school groups, holiday camps, and local clubs.
211 school pupils also swim 3-5 times per week from June until they break up in July at a cost of £10. This supports the school to achieve the National Curriculum aim for all children to leave primary school with a basic ability to swim.
It is a vital community asset that is used by pupils to learn to swim and children and adults to meet and enjoy time together in a safe and secure environment. We are seeing non-school members doubling year-on-year with the growing community via additional housing and school membership by 10% yearly. With the improvements this should only continue to grow.
Find out more: Swimming Pool – FOLSS
Thank you for your support – your generous donations will enable more children and adults to use the pool.