'Turning Back Time Day' – season opening day at Cheltenham's Lido
Sandford Parks Lido in Cheltenham will open its gates to swimmers for the first time in 2014 on Saturday 10th May at 11am. The outdoor heated swimming facility will celebrate by holding its annual ‘Turning Back Time’ day with entrance thrown back to the 1935 price of 2 pence (equivalent of sixpence) and staff dressed in traditional navy white’s uniform.
As the gates are opened at 11am, Cheltenham Silver Band will celebrate the beginning of another season of outdoor swimming in the heart of the town.
The Lido's Iain Barton said, "We are very excited to have the current British Diving Champion Jack Laugher attending the opening of the lido. Jack has started 2014 in a winning way, at the beginning of February he achieve 2 gold medals at the British Diving Championships and was placed 6th at the Beijing 2014 Diving World Series, Men’s 3 metre springboard. Jack will be meeting and greeting and will also show off his talents in the pool. There will also be opportunity for children aged 8-15 to train with Jack on the poolside and learn the diving techniques of champions."
The traditional ‘Sandford Sprint’ will take place at 1pm. Anyone can enter this one length (50m) race and following on from this at 2pm the Lido's very own Cheltenham Water Polo Club who are this year’s ASA British Gas National Champions will play an exhibition match against the London Polytechnic Water Polo Club. This will be a great opportunity to watch the national champions on their home turf and also for any children who may be considering taking up the sport. Spectators are very welcome.
At 3.30pm Cheltenham Canoe Club will then provide an opportunity for children to experience canoeing in a safe pool environment.
Lido Cafés Under New Management
In The Park Ltd is a new company dedicated to providing quality catering services at Sandford Parks Lido, Cheltenham, incorporating the newly rebranded Café Lido and separate Park Café. The Café Lido will remain a seasonal venue, but the Park Café will now be open all year round.
The company was founded by Susannah Moffat of Cheltenham Coffee Co Ltd, who also runs the award winning Central Cross Café and newly renovated Boathouse in Pittville Park.
“I’m delighted to be working with the trustees to bring something new to this wonderful historic facility that we in Cheltenham are lucky to have on our doorstep. Park cafes should be a thriving hub of the local community, providing good quality, simple, home-made food for dog walkers, parents and children, business people, teenagers, pensioners and - with the wonderful facilities of the Lido in the summer months, families enjoying the heated open air pool. My staff and I aim to create a fun, friendly atmosphere for people to come together and enjoy both The Lido and Sandford Park, and we are dedicated to providing the best customer service we possibly can. We are committed to environmentally and ethically responsible practices, using compostable takeaway packing, fairly traded produce, waste recycling schemes, and source locally wherever possible. We want to see more and more people using these facilities - and building a stronger community because of it.”
Susannah was recently a finalist in the ‘Young Entrepreneur of the Year’ category in the 2014 Gloucestershire Women in Business Awards and has won several awards for her work in Pittville Park including ‘Best Café’ Taste of Gloucestershire 2013, and Taste of the West ‘Gold’ for hospitality.
Over the winter the trust has spent over £150,000 on refurbishment and repair including the replacement of the main pool suction pipe from the pool to the plant room. Due to this project the children’s pool area will not be open to the public immediately, however the heating to the main pool will be increased until the children’s pool becomes operational. The replacement pipework was necessary as a result of leaks occurring during the 2013 season and this work, undertaken by local company Galtec Ltd should now secure the pipe for another 70 years.
A lot of other work has been carried out over the winter to make the site ready for another busy summer
Season tickets are available throughout the season and can be purchased with a 10% discount before Sunday 11th May. More information is available at www.sandfordparkslido.org.uk 01242 234907
Explore Gloucestershire
8 May 2014
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