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| Ponds takings prove a drop in
the ocean |
Cost cuts threat unless swimmers
shell out for dips
THE swimming ponds on Hampstead Heath will face a fresh threat
of closure unless swimmers start paying for a dip, Heath chiefs
have warned.
This follows revelations, uncovered by the New Journal on Tuesday,
that just £9,000 has been raised from the ‘honesty boxes’
erected at the Ponds in June. These were a compromise after Heath
guardians the Coporation of London said the cost of maintaining
the ponds was too high, but furious swimmers said access should
remain free.
But it had been hoped they would raise at least £80,000 a
year towards the £500,000 claimed cost of maintaining the
ponds.
With the three-month take well short of that target, chairwoman
of the Hampstead Heath management committee Catherine McGuinness
warned: “The situation at the ponds is deeply disappointing
and the income thus far is a long way short of what we had expected
to make.
“If swimmers do not start co-operating to pay to use the ponds
and this trend continues into next summer, we will need to review
the situation in November 2006 to reduce the cost of running these
facilities to sustainable levels.”
The suggested charge is £2 for a swim, with a £1 concession.
Season tickets priced at £100 are available for regular swimmers.
According to the latest figures from the Corporation, only 5,856
swimmers bothered to use the machines – out of an estimated
150,000 swimmers at the ponds between June and September.
While the ladies’ pond netted nearly £5,000 and the mixed
pond just over £3,000, the men’s pond brought in a paltry
£1,221.
But swimmers’ groups blamed the low figures on poor signs,
confused messages from the Corporation and “residual anger”
over threats last year to close the ponds.
Robert Sutherland Smith, chairman of the United Swimmers Association,
said: “The machines were installed at the end of a long and
bitter struggle to keep the ponds open so a lot of people are still
extremely angry. What they should be doing if they want donations
is appeal to the hearts and minds of people. People are totally
confused.”
Jane Shallice, chairwoman of Kenwood Ladies’ Pond, said: “It’s
hardly surprising. If they had handled the situation more sensitively,
the results would have been much better. There is still a lot of
residual anger.”
She added: “It has not helped that the notices they have put
up are confusing and there was a real fudge over whether the charges
were compulsory or not.”
Sally Taylor, from the Mixed Pond Action Group, said: “There
will always be people who don’t pay but a lot of people don’t
understand that they should be paying. It is worrying but I am glad
the ponds will be kept open another year.” |
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Give power to the people
POST-war, early 1950s Britain was still experiencing food rationing
and was a disillusioning place for English gourmands. The war had
destroyed the restaurant trade and, with few exceptions, post-war
eateries made the worst of a bad situation.
FULL STORY
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