Loss of children’s swimming lessons leads to petition
UPDATE: Since this article was written, we understand Park Leisure have decided to review the situation. We will bring you more when we hear it.
Several people have contacted The Ambler after children’s swimming lessons were cancelled at the Amble pool run by Park Leisure.
Image: Pixabay
One parent wrote to The Ambler: “We are both angry and sad at the decision of Park Leisure to stop all school and private swimming lessons. Our son attended lessons at Amble swimming pool for several years after making little progress at Alnwick. He had just started to gain confidence when Covid struck. Sadly, we are not only back to square one, but are now having to go to Alnwick for lessons again.”
Others also expressed their anger online, drawing attention to the lack of a leisure centre in Amble. The Ambler also asked this in issue 124: (www.theambler.co.uk/2020/10/26/why-does-amble-not-have-a-sports-centre/) and now an online petition has been set up.
The petition is directed to Glen Sanderson, Leader of NCC, saying that Amble needs a leisure centre. You can find the petition here: https://chng.it/sFyHZpq5Xb
In response to the loss of children’s swimming lessons, Bryan Docherty, General Manager of Park Leisure told The Ambler:
“As part of an ongoing review of our Amble Health & Leisure Club facility, throughout the pandemic, we made the decision to cancel swimming lessons at the Leisure Centre for several reasons.
“During the early 2020 lockdown the leisure centre was unable to welcome customers, and since then further restrictions have meant that fewer customers were able to enjoy our leisure facilities.
Throughout the year, our leisure facilities schedules have been under continuous review to ensure that we adhere to guidelines and appreciate the ongoing rising Covid-19 cases, whilst maintaining staffing levels and a focus on keeping our facility open with a schedule that benefits the majority of our owners on park and local residents.
“Throughout the summer and autumn months, we have taken the decision to run as many varied sessions as possible, so that our local residents and owners are able to enjoy our wide range of swim activities, from relaxing adult only swims to family fun sessions. The current schedule will run until the end of the year, as we continue to navigate through the pandemic and ensure we’re managing both our facilities and people as safely as possible.
Anna Williams
