We're holding a street party to celebrate the centenary of Haggerston Pool. It's on Saturday June 26th from 2pm til 8pm in Laburnum St, E2 which is the small street at the back of Haggerston Pool running between Queensbridge Road and Kingsland Road next to the canal.

Haunted House Productions (Kiss 100), many acts from 2 Die 4 records, DJs Mr J (SLR) and Angel 4 Play (Sound Radio) - as well as Vietnames Dragon Dancers, Elvis sing-alike, Turkish drummers, rappers, singers, Golden-Oldies singalong, poets, dancers, fashion parade, didgeridoos and much more.
The pearly King and Queen of Hackney will be presenting a large telegram to celebrate the 100th birthday of Haggerston Pool, and the new Laburnum Street magazine - Laburnum Plot - full drawings and writings from people in the street will be launched - free copies on the day

Lots of stalls - food, lucky dip, bric-a-brac, tombola, hoop the duck, arts and crafts - as well as a clown, face painting, Hackney Wolverines FC, balloon race, papermaking and windmill making and children's art & craft workshop, yoga class, talk on the history of Haggerston Pool.
Laburnum boat club is holding an open day for Canoeing & boat rides and there is the "Non Humans" exhibition at the David Risley Gallery including work by Graham Sutherland.

All the performers and organisers have worked for nothing - the funding for the stage, stalls, licences, publicity etc has come from Hackney Co-operative Developments, Canalside Housing Association, London and Quandrant Housing Association, Pinnacle PSG, Laing's Training, Newlon Housing Association, Islington South and Hackney Housing Association & Whiston and Goldsmith's Tenants Association.

Organised by Haggerston Pool Community Trust, 2 Die 4 Records, Laburnum Pilot Magazine & Drawing Room/David Risley Gallery, Kingsland TRA, St Mary's TRA, Jeger Avenue TRA, Community Centre for Refugees from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia (VLC Centre), Clifford Lawson Sheltered Housing, Laburnum Boat Club, Youth of Haggerston and the Sulyemaniye Mosque.

Financial services organisation UBS made the formal announcement of their intention to sponsor a city academy on the site of Laburnum Primary School. Named "Bridge Academy", the school will open in September 2006, catering for 11 - 18 year olds, and specialise in Maths and Music. No mention of any plans for the inclusion of Haggerston Pool in the scheme were made at the announcement.

Clissold Leisure Centre, Stoke Newington, cost £31 million to build - instead of the initial plan of £7.5 million, and was open for just 20 months. It was closed for health and safety reasons due to major structural faults in November 2003.

Hackney Council have set up a scrutiny committee to look at "the effects of the closure and how the Council is managing the situation". The first meeting held 26th May was told that £1.4 million has been put aside to investigate the closure and that forensic engineers had only started work that day, 6 months after the centre closed.

At this week's second meeting, Sport England attended and confirmed that if Clissold is not re-opened, Hackney Council will have to repay the £10 million grant they were awarded towards the cost of the centre.

Following the three-day Paralympic Trials in Sheffield, British Swimming has nominated its athletes to the British Paralympic Association (BPA) for inclusion in this September's Games in Athens. Hackney's Elaine Barrett has been picked to go.

Elaine trained at Haggerston Pool until it closed in February 2000 interrupting her training schedule just before the last Olympics. When Clissold opened Elaine trained there until it closed in November 2003.

London Pools Campaign are launching an exhibition of closed and threatened pools at 4pm on Wednesday July 7th at Brockwell Lido - following a cross London swim of the pools and lidos in London to highlight the lack of swimming pools in London. Ex-sports minister Kate Hoey and author Ken Worpole will open the exhibition.

If you'd like to join in the swim, or you'd like an invitation to the launch event, please get in touch.

The aims of the organisation are to stop pool closures and to see the setting up of a London Pools Trust associated with the GLA to take on London's pools as local authorities are struggling to manage pools across the capital.
More information on www.londonpoolscampaign.com