Next Haggerston Pool Meeting will be at 7pm on April 10th - Venue Haggerston Community Centre which is at 179 Haggerston Road . Discussion and more info about all issues below.

Lots of new people in the email group and mailing list - so here is the basic information again. The pool was closed in February 2000 following a council health and safety check - just before Hackney Council signed a contract with a private contractor to take over the running of Hackney's swimming pools. Estimates for restoring the pool and making the rest of the building available for community use vary up to £8 million - and the swimming pool will need a subsidy each year of about £250,000.

Pool campaigners have been active for 4 years trying to keep swimming facilities in the baths. We meet once a month - see above. We have been meeting with the Council, Shoreditch New Deal, English Heritage to look at a joint solution for the future of the baths. Shoreditch New Deal have funded business planners (Strategic Leisure from Manchester) to do an initial business plan which should be ready soon - see below.

Pool campaigners held a candle lit vigil outside the baths on March 18th to mark the 100 years since the foundation stone for the pool was laid. Fifty people turned up with candles and banners and stood by the foundation stone, and explained to passers by about the state of the pool. Nice picture and spread in the Hackney Gazette last week.

As reported in the last bulletin, The Learning Trust has carried out an analysis of school swimming in the South Hackney area. Ten local schools said they would definitely use Haggerston pool if it was open, and 3 more said they possibly would. Four schools said that more than 70% children left unable to swim the National Curriculum standard of 25 meters - and six more schools said they did not know how many children met the standard.

Following this the Learning Trust are carrying out more detailed research into the state of swimming in Hackney's schools.

The Pool Users group is writing letters to highlight this issue - a pro-forma letter will be available at the next pool meeting.

The business planners (Strategic Leisure funded by Shoreditch New Deal) continue to look at ways of funding the restoration of Haggerston Baths. Their report was due to be be ready next week when there was to be public consultation. Dates have now slipped - more information when we have it.

Hackney's new neighbourhood committees (4 in the borough) started meeting before Christmas for residents to be able put their views to councillors in a public forum. Pool campaigners met with the officers from the Shoreditch Neighbourhood Committee to put their concerns about the future of the swimming pool and the state of school swimming.

The future of Haggerston Pool will be on the agenda for the next public meeting of the Shoreditch Neighbourhood Committee which will be on June 12th.

A new gallery is opening up in the artists studios in the building directly behind Haggerston Pool. The gallery - called The Drawing Room - is planning to have exhibitions as well as doing projects involving local people - particularly children and young people. There is a plan for a project about Haggerston Pool starting in the autumn.

The proposals for the re-opening of London Field Lido remain in discussion. The Environment Trust has put in a proposal to Hackney Council to cover the lido for year round swimming and install gym facilities. The cost has risen to £1.25 million as it has been discovered that the pool will have to be re-lined.

The London Pools Campaign now involves 11 pool campaigns across London - including Haggerston Pool, London Fields Lido and York Hall Baths. We are having discussions with Sport England about funding for a co-ordinator to support the campaigns and look at London wide funding and strategy for London's swimming.