swimming Archives - Page 5 of 6

Harrogate Hydro set for major refurbishment

Harrogate Borough Council wants to build a new two-storey extension to The Hydro swimming pool as part of a major refurbishment of the ageing facility.

The council has submitted a planning application this week to upgrade the building, which opened in 1999 and replaced Coppice Valley pool.

The council is proposing to demolish the current ‘drum’ entrance and replace it with a larger structure that includes a bigger café and reception area on the ground floor and a new 400 square metres fitness suite on the first floor.

Plans also include a refurbishment of the changing rooms and pool hall. Five electric vehicle charging points would also be added.

The Stray Ferret asked the council how much the works will cost, and whether it will affect opening hours at the pool, but we did not receive a response at the time of publication.

The Hydro’s ‘drum’ entrance would be demolished and replaced.

The application has received the backing of Sport England, which said:

“An improved and modern leisure facility in this sustainable location delivers a series of benefits, including increasing the opportunity for physical activity, increasing membership and usage and encouraging better interaction with the facilities and services on offer”.

Other Hydro projects

There are now several building projects underway at The Hydro.

In July, the council confirmed it is to buy a new diving platform to replace the damaged one that has kept divers out of the pool for eight months.

This month, the council was also given approval for 420 solar panels to be installed on the roof of the pool.

The Hydro is now run by Brimhams Active, a new arm’s length leisure company set up by the council this year. It has taken over the running of 12 leisure facilities in Harrogate, Knaresborough, Ripon and Pateley Bridge.

New Ripon pool may not be ready to open in November

Ripon’s new multi-million pound leisure development may not be ready to open in November, as previously indicated.

The scheme, for which known costs were in excess of £10.2 million before a six-month delay was announced last year, was originally scheduled to open this summer.

Last autumn, a press release by Harrogate Borough Council said the development at Camp Close, off Dallamires Lane, would open in November.

But in an update issued by the council a spokesperson, said:

“We can confirm the new swimming pool in Ripon is due to open towards the end of the year.

“An official opening date will be confirmed in the coming weeks once the facility has been handed-over by Willmott Dixon, our appointed contractor carrying out the works.”

An ‘opening in summer 2021’ sign was later replaced by one saying ‘opening in autumn 2021’.

The statement, added:

“Following this handover, we will carry out the necessary staff training and rigorous testing to prepare the new facility for opening.

“The addition of the new swimming pool is a major development for Ripon and the surrounding area and we’re delighted to announce that it will be officially opened later this autumn.”

£10.2m contract

A £10.2 million contract was awarded to Willmott Dixon before work started on site in November 2019.

The 17-month contact was for delivery of a six-lane pool, along with refurbishment of the existing Ripon Leisure Centre.

This specified a completion date of 21 May this year, but this was later amended to November.

Councillor Stanley Lumley, the council’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport said, at the time, that the project had been ‘slightly delayed’ by covid.

In the release dated 13 November, he added:

“Ground work, known as grouting, is nearing completion.”

Ground stability issues

Cllr Lumley’s statement came two months after a ‘void’ was discovered near the entrance to the existing leisure centre building, which was constructed in the mid 1990s.

A previous sinkhole that opened up in February 2018 caused the closure of the leisure centre car park and despite concerns raised about the suitability of the Camp Close site for addition of a swimming pool, the scheme was granted approval at a council planning meeting in June 2019.

Following discovery of the second ‘void’ Stantec, an international engineering, design and consultancy practice, carried out an initial inspection and in a report, seen by the Stray Ferret, raised concerns about the load-bearing capacity of existing piles under the leisure centre, which would have been used to support the connection between it and the new pool.

What will the final cost be?

The Stray Ferret has submitted two Freedom of Information requests to the council in an attempt to establish what additional costs have been incurred, on top of the original £10.2 million contract for the scheme.

In its response to the first request, the council said that the information it held was ‘confidential’. In its response to the second request, it said ‘the final costs are not yet known.’

Dalesman triathlon in Ripon attracts 600 hardy souls

More than 600 people entered the inaugural Dalesman Triathlon on Sunday, which started and finished at Ripon racecourse.

Triathlons consist of a swim, followed by a cycle ride and run.

There were three different distances, the main one being the full Dalesman, which consisted of a 2.4 mile swim in the lake at Ripon racecourse followed by a 112-mile cycle route in Masham, Dallow Moor and Brimham Rocks and a 26-mile marathon run that returned to Ripon.

The full Dalesman started at 6am and final competitor finished in darkness at 10.30pm. Henry Sleight won in a time of nine hours and 53 minutes.

Event organiser Rob Wilkins, who lives near Ripon, said it was a successful but exhausting day and he hoped it would return next year.

Keen runner, the Rt. Revd Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, the Bishop of Ripon, was among those who answered a call for volunteer marshals put out by Ripon Runners club, of which she is a member.

Dr Hartley said:

“It was a terrific event, and great for the region to attract nationwide competitors.

“In addition, it highlighted the sporting attractiveness of Ripon and its surrounding communities. It was great fun to be a marshal and I am full of admiration for all those taking part.”

Olympian Adam Peaty inspires young swimmers in Harrogate

Olympian Adam Peaty has inspired the next generation of swimmers in Harrogate at Ashville College today.

Adam Peaty headed to the college’s sports centre early this morning, where he will be all day to train young athletes and leave parents and staff starstruck.

Fresh from taking two gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics and the announcement that he will take part in Strictly Come Dancing, Mr Peaty was keen to take that momentum with him.

The Race Clinic in Harrogate was a £219 per ticket sell-out event.

It is one of ten taking part across the UK and the only one in Yorkshire. Staff at Ashville College believe that he may be back next year as well.

Adam Peaty told the Stray Ferret outside the sports centre where there was a festival atmosphere:

“I mean obviously you can win Olympics and do everything in your sport but if you cannot take that to the grassroots level back home then you are not maximising that potential.

“So this is the whole project around it. You never know what the butterfly effect of something like this can be.

“It’s not necessarily the talent, it’s more about the energy. We overwork and overthink with our children. I just want them to stay in the present and enjoy the moment, have a bit of a laugh.”

Dominic Bradburne, director of sport at Ashville College, also told the Stray Ferret:

“I don’t think we can measure the difference it will make, maybe we will see that in 10 or even 15 years time.

“Adam could inspire that one person to become a star, we just do not know. I am sure that everyone will take something away from today.

“Who knows? We might see some of these pupils here today at the next Olympics. I have spoken to him a couple of times, he’s very grounded.

“We can only hope that we have picked up some knowledge from him and take that into the other sports camps we have got at Ashville College.”

The swim clinic features three different stations. The first will focus on the breaststroke and will be led by Adam Peaty and Edward Baxter, a British swimming champion and record holder.

Adam Peaty’s gym coach Robert Norman will lead the second session which will dive into injury prevention.

Station three, led by Tim Shuttleworth, will give an insight into how to gain the mental edge necessary to compete successfully.

It comes just weeks after one of the biggest names in world ballet Wayne Sleep also visited the school for the Yorkshire Ballet Seminar.

Knaresborough campaigner: ‘This park will be lost unless we speak up’

Campaigners in Knaresborough fighting a leisure centre and swimming pool being built on a park have accused Harrogate Borough Council of “not being honest” about the location of the new site.

A photo taken yesterday appears to show exploratory work for the new facility taking place on Fysche Field, next to the current swimming pool.

The council plans to build a new leisure centre to replace the town’s existing pool and begun drawing up designs earlier this year. A public consultation found over 80% of respondents were in support of the site, which is now the council’s preferred location.

However, some residents have criticised the consultation process and launched a campaign to protect the playing field next to the leisure centre from development.

They believe the consultation was flawed because it did not make it clear that the field next to the current pool could also be built on.

Campaigner David Hull, who set up a website against the development, took a photo that appeared to show drilling rigs and piling machines, which are used to drill holes.

Mr Hull told the Stray Ferret he believes the photo shows the council is intent on pressing ahead with its plan to build on the park.

He said:

“It is now abundantly clear to everyone that the intention is to build on the green park and not the existing pool site.

“We’ve had enough of this and this park will be lost unless we speak up.

“The council are being disingenuous and not being honest with people”.

A council spokesperson said:

“The current facility in Knaresborough is nearing 30 years old, only provides a swimming pool and has a number of on-going maintenance issues which are not resolvable without significant investment.

“As part of the design feasibility work, we are currently carrying out ground investigations across the entire existing site. This is normal for a project of this scale and does not pre-empt any preferred design or layout for the new leisure centre.

“When plans have been submitted they will be subject to the normal planning application process.

“Once completed, the new leisure centre will provide energy efficient, state-of-the art facilities that will encourage a healthier and more active lifestyle for our residents and something they can be proud of.”

Knaresborough Pool reopened yesterday after being closed since last summer following a problem with the pool’s filters.

Harrogate group to finally swim English Channel after cancellations

Team ‘SwimyourChannelswim’ is ready to complete its charity relay across the English Channel after three cancellations due to covid and bad weather.

Friends Andrea Stark and Jacqui Hargrave decided to do the relay for charity but needed two more team members. They convinced Jonty Warneken and Richard Powell to join.

Each swimmer has chosen a separate charity to donate support.

Jacqui Hargrave is donating to Saint Michael’s Hospice, Andrea Stark is donating to the Samaritans, Richard Powell has chosen Combat Stress as his charity and Jonty Warneken is donating to Open Country.

After each cancellation a team is required to complete a qualifying exam in 16 degree waters for 2 hours. The team is determined, however, and has re-qualified for the relay after every cancellation.

The team gets ready in Whitby.

Swimming the English Channel requires great stamina, it can take the team 12 to 14 hours to complete the relay.

According to the Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation, keeping away from shipping lanes and strong waves can add hours and miles to the relay with the longest recorded time being 29 hours.

Other dangers of swimming across the English Channel include sewerage, changes in weather, strong waves, jellyfish stings and hypothermia.

Jacqui said “my biggest worry is seeing a shadow in the water and being like, ‘what is that!'”

Jonty preparing for the English Channel

Team leader Andrea Stark said how the team came together:

“Jacqui and I committed ourselves to taking on the Channel Challenge before we got any older and bits of us start falling off. We managed to persuade Jonty and Richard to make up a team – it’s now or never!”

Jonty Warneken said why he is donating to Open Country:

Investigation won’t cause further delay of Ripon leisure development

Harrogate Borough Council (HBC) has confirmed that Ripon’s new swimming pool and refurbished leisure centre will open in November.

Last month, it was revealed that a new sinkhole had been discovered in 2020 near the leisure centre entrance.

This follows an incident in February 2018, when a sinkhole opened up on the centre’s car park.

However, the council says that investigation of the second void, and any remedial work required, will not cause further delay to the £10 million-plus project.

Following a report from consultant engineers, councillors approved additional spending of £110,000 to pay for the investigation.

The current insured value of the leisure centre is £3,796,135 plus 10% contents, which the authority would lose, should any damage be caused as a result of the work on site.

Once complete, the facility will include a six-lane, 25-metre pool, modern changing rooms, a sauna, an extended gym and an outside play area.

A spokesperson for HBC said:

“Thanks to this investment at Ripon Leisure Centre, the existing facility at Ripon Spa Baths will no longer be required.

“The sale, and redevelopment of the spa baths, will give this local listed building a new lease of life (subject to planning approval), retain key features and remain as a city landmark.”

The new pool offers a 70 per cent increase in water space compared with Ripon Spa Baths.

The improved leisure centre will also provide a new main entrance and lobby area, two new activity studios, a spin studio and meeting facilities.

Cllr Stanley Lumley, HBC’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, added:

“The addition of the new swimming pool, and the improvements to the leisure centre, will be a major development for Ripon and the surrounding area.

“They’ll provide much needed modern facilities that will encourage a healthier and more active lifestyle for our residents and something they can be proud of.”

While construction activity continues, HBC has confirmed that Ripon’s Spa Baths, which is still up for sale, will remain open.

The spa building, with its pool that was added in the 1930s, reopened on May 14 after closing in March 2020 due to covid.

For sale signs remain in place outside the building.

Knaresborough pool to reopen next month with new filters

Knaresborough Pool is set to welcome swimmers next month after being closed for more than a year.

National restrictions eased to permit pools to open on April 12. However, a problem with the pool filters in Knaresborough forced it to remain closed.

The manufacturer, based in Spain, was unable to send engineers over to fix the equipment due to the current travel bans.

Harrogate Borough Council decided to replace the existing filters rather than delay the opening further.

The council said it has taken an extensive amount of work, but the three new filters are now installed and will be filled in preparation for the July opening.

Cllr Stanley Lumley, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, said:

“It’s fantastic news that the swimming pool in Knaresborough is set to open ahead of the school summer holidays next month. Subject to any further government restrictions, of course.

“We were hopeful that travel would be relaxed so that the specialist Spanish contractor could carry out the work on the existing filters.

“But given the continued travel restrictions, we felt now was the right time to make the decision to invest in new filters to ensure we can open the pool as soon as possible.”

The Stray Ferret has asked the council how much it has spent on the three new filters but had received no reply by the time of publication.

When Knaresborough Pool opens next month it will mean that Starbeck Baths will be the only pool in the district that is yet to reopen.

Harrogate council said Starbeck Baths would open “shortly” after Ripon Spa Baths but there has been no word since on an opening date.

The council then said that, due to the nature of the historic building in Starbeck, it would be difficult to open with coronavirus restrictions in place.

Harrogate disability swimming squad jump back in

A disability swimming squad in Harrogate jumped straight back in this week after finally getting back to club sessions following the easing of restrictions.

The swimming team, Hotshots, returned to the water last night after months away with the members just as eager as the coaches.

Run by Harrogate District Swimming Club at Harrogate Hydro the group encourages disabled people into the water offering them training and the chance to compete in local competitions.

An arrangement with Harrogate Borough Council to add extra pool time means the club’s disability swimming squad can return.

The team’s first session back was on Tuesday night with their coach Lisa Gill. She was very excited to see all the swimmers back again, some haven’t been in the pool for over a year.

Club representative, Brian Charlton, said:

“It’s something we’ve been pushing for for a long time so it was great to see the swimmers back in the water last night. To see the smile on their faces was just amazing. I was speaking to one of the members’ mums who said this was her happy place and that is why we do it.”

Last night five swimmers came to the practice but Mr Charlton has high hopes to return to the team to its previous size of 20 members.

Currently, group sessions can only include under 18’s but due to different rules Hotshots can invite people of all ages to its practices.

With the return of the Hotshots squad the club now have 60 swimmers under the club squad scheme.

The club has said it is working with the borough council and the new arms-length company running leisure services, Brimham’s Active.

US scholarship boosts Ripon swimmer’s Olympic bid

A 17-year-old from Ripon Grammar School, who is ranked in Britain’s top four for the 200m butterfly, will be heading to Grand Canyon University in Arizona.

Christa, from Dishforth, will study chemistry at the university, renowned for its exceptional sports teams, while setting her sights on the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

From Ripon Grammar School to Arizona and a scholarship that will help Christa’s Olympic bid.

The holder of numerous medals at national and international levels, Christa was pursued by three other US universities, who all offered full scholarships.

She felt Grand Canyon was the best fit and said:

“It will be amazing to train and compete in America, a thrilling experience to compete against the fastest swimmers in the world and train alongside Olympians.

“My goal is to compete in the 2024 Olympics after qualifying for this year’s Olympic trials.

“Grand Canyon will provide the best facilities, training programme and team dynamics for me over the next four years, allowing me to swim and study to the highest possible standards.”

As well as her tuition fees throughout her four-year degree course, the university will pay for accommodation and all other costs including food, sports kit and equipment, with the bonus of a personal spending allowance.

Christa’s aspiration for her freshman year is to qualify for the US National College Athletic Association Division 1 Swimming Championships – the fastest swimming meet in the world.

She learned to swim aged just six months and began competing when she was nine. Her mother Kathryn said:

“All the years of missing social events, days out and sleep due to 4am starts has finally paid off due to her hard work.”

She added:

“I would like to thank the staff at RGS for supporting Christa both academically and for her swimming throughout her time at the school.”

Christa is a member of the Northumberland and Durham Elite Training Programme and the Borough of Stockton Swim Scheme, and has been crowned county champion for Northumberland and Durham on numerous occasions.

Alongside her academic studies, she maintained a punishing training regime, consisting of 3.45am wake-up calls to travel 140-mile round trips for early morning and late evening sessions in the pool.

Christa plans to take a two-year postgraduate course in forensic science following her chemistry degree.

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Other Hydro projects

£10.2m contract

Ground stability issues

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