Hackney’s London Fields Lido could be expanding its current facilities to include a brand new teaching pool, the council has announced.
The proposal for the pool extension is currently in a consultation stage, allowing local residents to dive in and get engaged with the plans. Construction will then begin at the end of the year and be completed by the summer of 2024.
By opening a separate area dedicated to teaching people to learn how to swim, Hackney Council said it hopes to “expand the swimming offer to a wider section of the community, improving programme opportunities and increasing participation”.
London Fields Lido is an Olympic-sized, 50m outdoor swimming pool located in the heart of Hackney. It is an incredibly popular destination, particularly during the summer months, serving nearly 350,000 swimmers a year.
The announcement comes as new research conducted by Swim England – the national governing body for swimming, diving, water polo, open water swimming, and synchronised swimming – shows that more than half of adults in the country feel that learning to swim is intimidating. According to the study, men are “more likely to feel embarrassed” at the prospect of adult swimming lessons than women.
As a result, the organisation decided to launch a #LoveSwimming campaign to celebrate those who learn to swim later in life.
The head of Swim England’s Learn to Swim programme, Katie Towner said: “This is a hugely important campaign for us as we commit to welcoming as many people as possible into pools across the nation.
“No one should feel as though it’s too late for them to learn to swim, or that there are any barriers to them having their first lesson at any age or ability level.”
