• FIFTY-eight years ago when I was a youngster, I was privileged to be a local swimming champion for St Pancras later to become Camden.

Being a real Kentish Towner, I knew of the existence of the wonderful Hampstead Ladies Pond and frequently went to swim there with my also champion swim friend.

We would do some training and lark around having great fun and pleasure, often spending whole days there. We were well known at that time.

Ladies of all ages and swimming abilities were there and there was great harmony and respect and unison as we were all there to swim in our beloved pond.

There were no qualified lifeguards on duty. We were responsible enough to take care of ourselves and look out for others. There were staff there on duty. They were the brown uniformed park keepers who did a shift in the pond.

As far as we were concerned we were in safe hands. No one asked us for entry fees, no payments were necessary because, in line with the pond being in a natural surrounding, money never came into it.

The ponds, the Heath, the swings, the paddling pool were all free as history informed us. So it is very sad today to see what is being intended for the beautiful natural surroundings of the pond.

People don’t want it to become a leisure centre. It was never intended to be so. People don’t want to pay for something that is supposed to be free, where they can come along, dip into the pond and be set up for the day without stress of having to find money to do so.

I do hope the City of London Corporation and the Heath administrators and those officials involved in decision making really give their future plans huge consideration.

I am so grateful for the pond. My early swimming life was great fun thanks to the Ladies Pond. I’m still hugely involved with swimming.

BRENDA HUMPHREYS
Chair of London Schools’
Swimming Association