• THE chairman of the United Swimmers’ Association’s opposition to charges being introduced for the enjoyment of the Hampstead Ponds (Any attempt at charging for the Heath ponds will be resisted, January 23), is one with which every other user of these amenities would fully agree.

Swimming at the ponds on the Heath goes back to Victorian times, when they could always be freely engaged in, and I think that referring to them therefore as the People’s Ponds would not be an overstatement.

His criticisms, however, of The Ponds film that has been made about this subject contains some unusual points, not all of which I think are accurate.

I spoke at the time to Patrick McLennan, the director of this documentary, at the Men’s Pond. He said that he wished to include the subject of the naturist sunbathing that takes place there as a feature, and in describing his intention he made no mention of the fact that he was acting on behalf of the Corporation of London Authority, and given this body’s record I would have thought that unlikely.

The comments that the Corporation unwisely promoted, assisted and encouraged and then staged showings of it are therefore, I think, misplaced.

The film was shown widely throughout the whole country, receiving much favourable praise, and it was never at any time claimed that it was being sponsored by the Corporation, which if that were the case it surely would have done.

As chairman of such a representative body one would have expected that he would have welcomed and encouraged greater usage, but he states instead that they should remain strictly limited, presumably to a privileged few.

That he believes that enjoyment of these amenities should remain freely available is right but that this should not be for everyone is quite mistaken.

The unfortunate reality is that the ponds are under resourced for the large numbers that will want to visit them during a hot summer, but that is what they should remain – free for everyone to enjoy.

JOHN McPARTLIN
NW3