Harrogate Hydro looks set to stay closed throughout the school summer holidays after another delay.

The Hydro closed in April last year for what was supposed to be a nine-month refurbishment costing £11.9 million.

But the scheduled re-opening in January this year did not happen and in its latest update in May, North Yorkshire Council said the cost of the scheme had risen to £13.5 million and customers would be welcomed back in August.

That suggested families would be able to use the swimming pool for at least some of the summer holidays, which start next week and end on September 4.

Brimhams Active, the council-controlled company that operates leisure centres, is now advertising the re-opening.

Its adverts say the Hydro, which will be renamed Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre, is now “anticipated to open early September 2023”.

The news will be a blow to families as the school holidays start next week.

The Stray Ferret asked the council if it could confirm the re-opening date and explain the reason for the latest delay. We also asked if the new £17.6 million Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre was still due to open in November.

A council spokesperson said it would provide an update after a site visit with contractors today.

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Two major local leisure centre projects in Harrogate and Knaresborough have been delayed — and will cost more than expected.

The new North Yorkshire Council gave its first update on the refurbishment of Harrogate Hydro and the construction of Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre today.

It revealed the Hydro is now due to re-open in August following a £13.5 million refurbishment.

The facility, which will be renamed Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre, was originally due to re-open in January this year and the project was due to cost £11.8 million.

But it now won’t be open for the start of the summer holidays.

A council statement today said:

“It had been hoped the new facility would be ready to open earlier in the summer but a number of unanticipated issues with the building were found during the construction process.”

The new Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre is due to open in November at a cost of £17.6 million.

The project was initially due to re-open at the end of summer and cost £17 million.

The existing Knaresborough Pool was due to be demolished once the new facility was open.

But to keep construction costs as low as possible, the current pool will close and start to be demolished in early September following the opening of the Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre.

It means Knaresborough is likely to be without a pool for two months.

Hydro overhaul

Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre will include a 400 square metre fitness centre, a new sauna and steam suite, improved reception and café, as well an overhaul of the existing gym, spin, leisure and swimming facilities.

The diving structure is also being replaced.

Outside, the building is being remodelled to provide a reconfigured car park, bicycle storage and electric vehicle charging points.

The existing gas boilers have already been replaced with air-source heat pumps and 250 solar panels, as well as new metering and energy monitoring and control systems.

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The energy efficiency measures were made possible by a £1.8 million grant from the government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy public sector decarbonisation scheme, and will halve the carbon footprint of the leisure centre.

The latest delay to the re-opening is to allow improvements to the fire protection of the steel frame, as well as the addition of new wall restraints, the replacement of corroded steelwork and fixing an issue that was causing an air leak and heat loss between the roof and the external walls.]

Today’s statement added:

“As a result of this additional work, the refurbishment project at Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre is now set to be completed by the end of July and will reopen in August, once staff from Brimhams Active have had a chance to familiarise themselves with the health and safety and operating procedures of the improved facility.

“Further details about the official opening will be announced in the coming months.”

Six-lane pool in Knaresborough

Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre, which is being built next to the current Knaresborough Pool, will include a six-lane 25-metre pool, activity pool with flume, sauna and steam room, fitness suite and studio, spin studio, café, electric car charging points and bicycle storage.

It will incorporate high-efficiency building materials, air source heat pumps and solar panels to reduce the carbon footprint.

Today’s update said:

“Unfortunately, due to an unavoidable delay involving the new electrical supply to the building, the leisure and wellness centre will now open in November.

Once the existing pool has been demolished, a new play area in front of the new Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre will be installed.

Cllr Simon Myers, the council’s executive member for culture, arts and housing, said:

“We want to ensure a healthier, more active population that is living longer and more independently. By investing in leisure facilities, such as this, we can continue to make that happen.

“Unfortunately, refurbishment projects often uncover historic issues that need to be resolved. But by carrying out the work now, the building can conform to the latest legislation, be as energy-efficient as possible and allow people to keep fit and active for many years to come.”

Starbeck Baths is to reopen today — five weeks after it closed due to an “unforeseen mechanical failure”.

In a Facebook post yesterday, the swimming pool said it would welcome customers from 7.30am.

It added:

Councillors in Ripon have called on the new North Yorkshire Council to build a learner pool so children aged under four can learn to swim in the city.

Last year, Harrogate Borough Council opened the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre on Dallamires Lane to replace the city’s 116-year-old Spa Baths.

However, the project has been dogged by controversy due to spiralling costs related to concerns about sinkholes.

The current cost of the project is estimated to be £18m — which is £8m over-budget.

The now-abolished council was also criticised for not building a smaller pool alongside the main pool.

It does offer swimming lessons through arms-length council leisure company Brimhams Active but they take place in the six-lane, 25-metre pool that is designed for adults and older children.

This means families have to take young children to Knaresborough, Harrogate or even further afield for swimming lessons.

At a meeting of Ripon City Council on Monday night, council leader Andrew Williams, who also sits on North Yorkshire Council as an independent, said the city council would be writing to the new authority asking it to commit to building a learner pool in Ripon.

He said: 

”It’s a very sad fact that Harrogate Borough Council when considering building a new pool couldn’t find the £630,000 that was needed to provide Ripon with a learner pool, the same as children in Knaresborough and Harrogate have.

”Instead, we were told that this was unaffordable but they could find £8m to fund incompetence and overspend. I find that incredible. It’s just a sad record of Harrogate council’s inability to deliver anything properly.”

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Parents who formed Ripon Pool Action Group have campaigned for a learner pool in the city for several years and last year published a survey that found there are over 1,000 children of pre-school age living in the Ripon area.

The survey suggested there was a demand for a learner pool with 63% of parents saying they would swim with their children once a week if Ripon had one.

Cllr Pauline McHardy, who on Harrogate Borough Council was an outspoken critic of the leisure centre project in Ripon, said she backed the bid to build a learner pool.

She said:

”I raised this at Harrogate council and said it was disgusting they couldn’t find money for the learner pool.”

North Yorkshire Council has been approached for comment.

A Starbeck woman is set to take on a 50-length swim in aid of a children’s cancer charity.

Carol Bland, who is 67 and has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, arthritis and fibromyalgia, aims to raise funds for Candelighters, which helped her after her 12-year-old daughter Faye died.

Faye had leukaemia and passed away in 1991.

Carol said the Leeds-based charity helped the family during the two years her daughter was ill.

She said:

“The Candlelighters did a lot for us as a family for the two years that Faye was ill. They also provided us with a free caravan at Primrose Valley after we lost her.”

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The 67-year-old now wants to thank the charity for their help and is planning a 50-length swim at Starbeck Pool.

She will take on the challenge on her birthday and is asking for donations instead of presents.

Carol added:

“I’m not in the best of health anymore and can’t participate in the walks or runs so I decided that for my birthday on December 17 instead of presents I would ask for sponsorship to do a 50-length swim of Starbeck Pool.”

For more information about Candlelighters and to donate to Carol’s swimming challenge, visit the donations page here.

Harrogate District Swimming Club is appealing for help from businesses to help it sustain its recent stellar run of successes in the pool. 

Swimmers at the club have won armfuls of medals, and even broken a world record at competitions over the last couple of weeks. But club officials are keen to find a corporate sponsor to help it recoup the loss of thousands of pounds over the last three years. 

Normally, the club would hold three weekend-long swimming galas a year at Harrogate Hydro and bank the profits, but the covid pandemic and the closure of the Hydro for its £11.8m refurbishment has seen that source of income all but dry up. 

Team manager and communications officer Brian Charlton said:

“We’ve only been able to hold one gala in the last three years. So we’ve lost eight out of the nine galas we would have held, and about £2,000 each time. That’s a huge amount to make up. 

“We’ve approached several of Harrogate’s larger companies, but with no luck so far. Hopefully we’ll be able to hold a gala in 2023, but until then we’d really like to find a sponsor to help us out.” 

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Gold rush in Sheffield

The world record-breaking female 4x200m front crawl 200-239 yrs team: Julie Hoyle, Jo Beardsworth, Karen Graham and Fiona Cryan.

Swimmers from HDSC recently competed with 1,000 others from across the country at the annual Swim England Senior/Masters National Championships in Sheffield, coming away with 14 gold medals, five silvers and three bronze, as well as four European/British records and even a world record for the ladies 4x200m front crawl 200-239 years team. 

Younger swimmers were also in action at the second short course County Championships, also known as the ‘Yorkshires’. Overall, they achieved 34 top-ten finishes, including eight gold medals, four silvers and one bronze. 

Brimhams Active has defended a decision to reduce adult only swim sessions at Knaresborough pool during the school holidays.

The company, which operates Harrogate Borough Council’s leisure facilities, sets the timetables for sessions at the pool on King James Road.

One residents told the Stray Ferret that she was disappointed that some of adult only sessions on a Tuesday and Friday had been cancelled.

She said:

“I am very disappointed that both the Tuesday and Friday one hour 9-10am swims for ‘adults only’ have been cancelled during the school holidays. 

“In the past, the Tuesday session has been kept and this was accepted, but both being removed is particularly unfair for the elderly who do not wish to (or feel unable to) swim when there are boisterous children in the pool.”

A spokesperson for Brimhams Active said the change in the timetable was temporary and that the pool sees more demand during the holidays.

They said:

“Brimhams Active is committed to delivering a comprehensive and inclusive pool programme at all of our venues. We endeavour to provide opportunities for all Harrogate residents to enjoy our facilities throughout the year. Our programmes are subject to change and are often amended to reflect seasonal demand.

“Throughout the school holiday period, Brimhams Active aims to provide additional swimming lesson opportunities for the children of our district in order to support improved attainment levels.

“This additional opportunity for children, forms a fundamental aspect of our commitment to the health and wellbeing of our local communities and our duty to support education around water safety and confidence in water.

“While this temporary change in our programming has a short term impact on our standard (term time) timetables, alternative adults only sessions are available alongside several opportunities for lane swimming throughout the day”

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An innovative new physio and hydrotherapy centre for dogs is set to open in Harrogate next month.

Veterinary physiotherapist Sophie Brook is hoping to launch the facility on Skipton Road at the end of August.

The first of its kind in Harrogate, it will offer physiotherapy, rehabilitation hydrotherapy, fun and fitness swims and puppy confidence swims.

Ms Brook, who owns The Harrogate Vet Physio, has been working on a mobile basis for the last two years, treating dogs and horses.

She has spent that time looking for a suitable location to be able to also offer hydrotherapy, which she currently practises at a centre in Brighouse.

And she finally found the perfect unit at Dragon Court Business Park, which will offer a 6m x 2.5m heated dog swimming pool and a physio room.

Ms Brook, who studied veterinary physiotherapy for four years, said:

“I always wanted a pool because hydrotherapy is so good for dogs. The pool is getting fitted next month and hopefully it will be open at the end of August.

“It can help with problems such as arthritis in older dogs and hip and elbow dysplasia. There are also things like cruciate injuries that be helped through physio and hydrotherapy.”

Ms Brook said the swimming sessions were aimed at helping puppies and dogs gain confidence in the water, as not all are natural swimmers.

She said:

“You would be surprised how many dogs can’t swim. For some it’s not a natural ability. It also helps puppies gain confidence around water so if they fall in, they don’t go into full panic mode.

“I’m really excited to launch the new centre. People in Harrogate are big dog lovers, so it is the ideal place to do it.”

A signed referral form is needed for all of the sessions, including fun and puppy swims, and can be found here.

Helen Tabor swam at Ripon’s Spa Baths for the last time on the morning of November 7, 2021.

For her, it was the end of an era dating back 40 years to her pre-teenage years, when she first swam in the ornate surroundings of the former Spa.

Early riser Helen, whose son Jamie was among tens of thousands of children taught to swim in the Edwardian building by Sylvia Grice, told the Stray Ferret:

“This place is very special to me, because it was part of my life, from the age of 12.”

She added:

“For me, it was always more than a swimming pool and became a place of reflection, relaxation and regeneration, as I swam alongside fellow early morning swimmers and did my 40 lengths.”

For Helen, it was not the last time that she was allowed into the Grade II listed building – once centrepiece of the Ripon Spa Quarter.

She was given permission to return with her camera to to take the photographs that now appear in her 32-page picture book, which has been produced in a limited edition first print of 150 copies.

The History of Ripon Spa and baths

The Spa, was opened in 1905 by the city fathers, in a bid to bring wealthy visitors to the city and support the local economy, but up against nearby Harrogate, with its established spa reputation and patronage from the royal houses of Europe, Ripon failed to gain a foothold.

As the last Spa in England to open, Ripon had missed the boat, even with the distinction of being the only one to be granted a Royal Opening, carried out on October 24, 1905, by Princess Henry of Battenburg – Beatrice, the youngest child of Queen Victoria.

In the 1930s, the Municipal Borough of Ripon took the decision to reconfigure the spa building and create the city’s first indoor public swimming pool, which opened in 1936.

Ripon Grammar School is making its sports pool available to local primary school children for swimming lessons.

The importance of children learning to swim is paramount, particularly in a city that has the rivers Ure, Skell and Laver, a canal, and a lake near the racecourse.

Pupils from St Wilfrid’s Catholic Primary School are saving money on coach hire costs by using the grammar school’s pool.

The primary school’s headteacher Jill Allen said:

She said:

“We are very grateful to have use of the pool. It is a walk across the field rather than a long trudge to the new baths or coach which we can’t afford. The children all love it!

“We are now on track to ensure all Year 6 children can swim 25 metres before leaving primary school, despite the disruption of the past few years,” she said.

More than one million children in the UK are believed to have missed out on swimming lessons during the pandemic, and there are fears this could lead to a ‘lost generation’ of swimmers, with many leaving primary school unable to meet the minimum national curriculum standards.

Mrs Allen thanked RGS’s ‘tremendous’ sixth form students for supporting Year 5 and 6 pupils, including those in the water helping youngsters who were unable to swim.

“At the other end of the scale one child achieved her gold award and others silver and bronze.”

RGS director of sport Adam Milner said he was delighted the local community was able to access the RGS pool. He said:

“As a state school, we are lucky to have it and are pleased it’s helping more children to learn to swim, a vital life skill every child should have.

“We hope it will also help those primary school pupils who go on to attend Ripon Grammar School with their transition to secondary school. Hopefully there will be opportunities for other schools to join us in the pool in future.”

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