POSITIVE/INFORMATIVE COMMENTS
Lincolnshire Echo (August 14)
Sandra Purdy wrote/said:
"I sincerely hope that the two men get all the support they need to get better swimming facilities for our city.
However, after the campaign that was instigated when news that the City Sports Centre pool was being closed, I doubt very much the councils will back the project.
It was definately voiced by the council at the time that there was not a need to keep City open and that it was financially unviable.
We pointed out that the only pool to remain in Lincoln was Yarborough as the one in Hykeham is out of city boundaries.
Unfortunately the people of Lincoln were not supporting the City pool which did not help in the fight to keep it open.
Good luck - hope all goes well - I thoroughly agree that the need is there"
Lincolnshire Echo (August 11)
Pat Crowley (FIOS AinstLM, President of Lincolnshire ASA, ASA Tutor Teacher and Technical Official) wrote/said:
"As President of Lincolnshire ASA and a member of the East Midlands Management Board, I feel I should put my views forward.
A 50m Pool in Lincoln would attract a lot of people to the City at weekends when Galas could be held and have a large input to the economy of the City. It is difficult to get a hotel room at Shefield when Galas are taking place at their pool (Ponds Forge).
It would also be a major boost to the Aquatic Sports for which we have had major success in Lincolnshire, with Paul Palmer, Melanie Marshall and Lizzie Symonds as examples from many. We have punched way above our weight for years, but without beter facilities I feel this may not continue much longer. The facilities available in Lincoln are all over 30 years old and not well maintained (probably the oldest in the country, and some councils are replacing pools far newer that ours).
We as a county are second class at the moment and struggle to get training and competitions in 50 m pools, which are vital to our swimmers if they want to progress and get to the level that they deserve. So to conclude, if we build a pool it will be a big boost to our atheletes and the economy of the City."
Lincolnshire Echo (August 11)
Steve De Wint wrote/said:
"...Well aware that some people do not make it through to the top flight, but also aware that without support at crucial times the opportunity for talent to shine through is definately lost.
Of particular note this year is the success of the junior elite squad at Lincoln Vulcans who did so well in the National Age Group Championships again, but with a new set of names on the finals lists. The 800m freestyle event saw Mollie Temple, Grace Conlon and Hayley Burton all improving on entry times, with Grace doing a four second personal best. Charlie Bitowt came seventh in the 800m Freestyle and his brother Oliver Bitowt who won two bronze medals in the 400m Individual Medley and 100m Backstroke in huge personal best improvements. Charlie Bitowt then achieved a four second personal best to make the 200m Freestyle final...the chances of being an elite sports person from Lincolnshire are being greatly improved.
Lincolnshire Echo (August 11)
Karen Noonan wrote/said:
"Yes, Lincoln should have a 50m pool.
What an excellent result from the Echo's 50m pool poll on Tuesday! So 82 per cent of Lincolnshire people want such a facility and not before time. It's nice to see Ralph Toofany supporting the campaign; it would be fantastic to see other councillors doing likewise.
I hope the 50m pool campaigners Russell Smith and David Spafford can successfully recruit the key players they need for their campaign and to drive it forward. What would be nice to see is the councils and any other key stakeholders signing off the same 'hymn sheet' and working toward the same goal of giving the people the 50m pool they want. Hopefully it wont be too long before the project is off the ground and the pool is a reality. Who knows? Lincoln may have its own 50m swimming pool by 2012!
The benefits of such a facility would be phenomenal and so many members of the community could benefit. Sports such as water polo and synchronised swimming could become a familiar sight within the city. The other added benefits of such a facility in Lincolnshire are employment and increased tourism. We could have international athletes competing in the city.
Well done Mr Smith and Mr Spafford. Keep up the good work and give the people of Lincoln the 50m swimming pool they want and bring Lincoln into the 21st centuary."
Lincolnshire Echo (August 11)
David Adams wrote/said:
"'Its not the building cost that is a problem, its keeping it running', said the chief executive of the Lincolnshire Sports Partnership, Steve De Wint, in the Echo of July 2.
If this is the case why use building costs to calculate the estimated tax increase? Are you suggesting the running costs of such a facility would equal the original build cost over 10 years (your figures come to £16.25m over 10 years), when ofset with grants, revenues from public and club swimming, gym memberships, hire, events etc? This is an extremely narrow-minded approach from a 'non-for-profit organisation which works to improve sports across the county'.
Surely the best ways to encourage more youngsters into sport would be to showcase and keep home-grown talent in the county? This regular exodus of world class athletes and coaches is evidence enough that a facility of this nature is needed, not to mention the complete lack of public swimming facilities during term times"
Lincolnshire Echo (August 7)
Sam Wheatley, a partner in Neil Wheately painters and decorators wrote/said:
"It is important to have a specialised pool in Lincoln because the City's getting bigger and bigger and the university is also growing. Alot of talent has come from Lincolnshire in the past and with a good-sized pool, that can only encourage more. Pools attached to schools are used by kids in the day, but an independent pool could be used by the whole community."
Lincolnshire Echo (July 21)
C Strathon wrote/said:
People are criticising Mr DeWint's totally negative attitude towards this idea, not the idea of the Sports Partnership. As you rightly say the Sports Partnership does and is supposed to support sport in Lincolnshire, which is why his comments are so baffling. At this stage the ONLY question the petition is about is whether the people of Lincoln/Lincolnshire, in an ideal world, would like such a facility.
By putting issues such as money into people's minds at this stage Mr DeWint is perhaps putting some people off saying they would like the facility and preventing the necessary 10,000 names being achieved. Why can he not be impartial at this stage, like the Council who said "Provision of a 50m competition pool would require support in a regional context and need to fulfil provision criteria from bodies such as Sport England". Note the first criteria is SUPPORT and this is what Mr DeWint may well be preventing from happening. What people are criticising is his negativity and making the whole thing about money.
The benefits of this scheme go far beyond simple money and by putting the horse before the cart Mr DeWint is not allowing people to make up their minds about the idea on the simple principle of whether they would like it. This is why he is being so heavily criticised.
Lincolnshire Echo (July 19)
Jack Merian wrote/said:
"For many years I have urged support for the international swimmers of Lincolnshire, and cannot understand why the local authorities seem to be so reluctant to put forward any proposals for an Olympic-size swimming pool.
I know money came from another 'pot' for the development of The Collection museum, and it appeared to be raised without too much difficulty, but I suppose this is because it was hoped that it would attract tourists. (Incidentally, I hope this is the case, as I have found it extremely difficult to find any local people who have actually visited The Collection).
For sure, an Olympic.style swimming pool for Lincoln would be far more used by the people of Lincolnshire, and also provide a much needed facility for our young people, who often appear to be largely forgotten - are they still unable to be provided with a skate park?"
Lincolnshire Echo (July 19)
Caroline Strathon wrote/said:
"The good thing about a 50m pool is that it can be split into two 25m pools and therefore can be used for two different things at once. For example, swimming clubs/fitness swimming in one half and public swimming in the other. This provides more flexibility as to pool use throughout the day.
At present neither swimming clubs or the public have sufficient pool time as most pools are attached to schools and so are unavailable during the day. Most pools also have their own swim schools and these take up alot of the pool time. A 50m pool, not tied to a school, would enable public swimming during the day. It would also enable primary and secondary schools to have more pool time to help them meet targets under the national curriculum.
Presently these schools have limited pool time as current facilities are not sufficient to meet their needs."
Lincolnshire Echo (July 18)
Mick Priestley wrote/said:
"Swimming is the only major sport which consistently is successful in the county and should be supported.
I find some of the actions and statements from council members pathetic. They never seem that bothered about increasing council tax year on year to pay for inadequate services"
Lincolnshire Echo (July 14)
Debby Furnish wrote/said:
"...What will happen to their future in this sport, and other children's, if we do not invest in our athletes who have real potential? Do we really want the athletes of Lincoln to have to move away, because we are failing to support them? If nationally, swimming is the second most popular public sport behind football, then why are there not enough good facilities provided to nurture these very talented and competitive swimmers?"
Lincolnshire Echo (July 14)
Robert Bushell wrote/said:
"I totally support the campaign for a 50m swimming pool in Lincoln. The new Conservative council in City Hall has an opportunity to listen to the voice of local people and provide improved swimming facilities. The first thing they could do is to restore the weekly swimming access at the City Sports Centre which serves the south of the city."
Lincolnshire Echo (July 14)
Brian Blore wrote/said:
"An Olympic pool in our county (July 2) would be a splendid project. It would indeed be a great addition to Lincoln - no-one could argue with that..."
"If you are asking the people of Lincoln to back this scheme, it must benefit them and I for one would prefer something like a municipal pool or a splash centre, incorporating a teaching pool that all the family could enjoy. Most importantly, it would have to be built locally so that those who do not have their own car could get there using public transport. Everyone is aware of the vast amount of time, effort and money that has been put into the University of Lincoln over the past few years and the benefits it has brought, but this would be something for the people who live, work and bring up their children here. Lets have something we can all share."
Lincolnshire Echo (July 13)
Annette Jansen wrote/said:
"As a citizen of Lincoln I feel we really should have a 50m pool.
When we had Olympic swimmers, Tracy Atkin and Paul Palmer in the city, where did they have to go to train? Other cities because our fair city doesn't have a decent 50m pool for them.
We need to have a 50m pool for the future of our top class swimmers."
Lincolnshire Echo (July 11)
Mr A. Meway wrote/said:
"I hear the arguments for and against a 50m swimming pool in Lincoln (July 2) but wonder why, at this point in the process, there is an argument coming from Steve De Wint?
As far as I can tell, the Sports Partnership - of which he is chief executive - is suppost to promote sport and not decide how much our council tax goes up (where did he pluck this figure from?).
Are we going to sit back and let somebody limit local support, never mind global sport (which a 50m pool/ice rink would bring)? I add ice rink because, if you didn't already know, a swimming pool's main cost is the heating and, as the ice needs to be cooled abd the heat sucked out, it would make sense to channel this heat to the swimming pool, as they do in Sheffield.
Clearly, if we leave our sporting future to these people then there will be no hope for the city of Lincoln or indeed the county of Lincolnshire. We will just have to be content to say 'remember Lizzie Simmonds or Paul Palmer; they learned to swim in Lincoln but had to move away as the facilities were not good enough'."
Lincolnshire Echo (July 5)
Lincoln MP Gillian Merron wrote/said:
"I am right behind this campaign for a new Olympic pool in Lincoln. Lincoln is an ever growing and ever-important place and we need the facilities to make proper provision. This is about training the athletes of tomorrow and providing the chance to swim, get fit and have fun."
Lincolnshire Echo (July 4)
Colin German wrote/said:
"Well done, Russell Smith and Dave Spafford. Could I take this further and suggest we have our own version of the Doncaster Dome complex, something Lincoln has needed for a very long time? How many people from Lincoln travel to Doncaster or Nottingham to swim or ice skate?"
Lincolnshire Echo (July 4)
Karen Noonan wrote/said:
"Lincoln has very poor facilities for the young, and it was the same when I was a child...I would not object to an increase in my taxes if it was to benefit the community and its budding athletes.
I would rather pay for a 50m swimming pool complex and leisure facilities that families could use rather than paying taxes for a 'white elephant' that no-one wants. Swimming is the second most popular sport after football. It is a leisure activity that the whole family can enjoy together.
Why can't Lincolnshire have its own home-grown and nurtured olympic swimmers? Why do they have to move away? Why? Because Lincoln doesn't have the facilities to look after them - but wants the credit when they do well. In Paris they have fifty-two 50m swimming pools, in Australia they have 1,500 but in the UK we only have 22 - surely that speaks for itself.
Lincolnshire is currently the most physically inactive region within the UK. No wonder we are all dying of coronary heart disease and obesity. Come on, people of Lincolnshire - if we all support this campaign of Russell Smith and Dave Spafford, we could have our 50m swimming pool and sports complex and be a centre of excellence for the rest of the country to follow."
Lincolnshire Echo (July 3)
Marc Spackman, Vulcans' Head Coach wrote/said:
"A pool would be important in encouraging the talent of the future. All involved in competitive swimming in the county recognise how important and valuable such a pool would be to all swimming clubs. Lincolnshire clubs have provided an Olympic swimmer at every games since 1992 despite below-standard facilities. The possibility of an international standard 50m pool here would transform the opportunities for our sport and establish Lincoln as a major events venue. It would bring in much-needed revenue to the city to contribute to its ongoing development and regeneration."
Lincolnshire Echo (July 3)
David Hendel, Chairman of Lincoln Vulcans Swimming Club wrote/said:
"We are delighted at the possibility of further facilities becoming available. The 50 hours that we currently hire at a range of facilities around the city are simply not enough for our requirements and we are pleased to hear about the project. If we want to continue to produce top level swimmers and provide modern swimming opportunities for everyone in Lincolnshire, we need to work as hard as we can to make sure that this proposal becomes a reality."
Lincolnshire Echo (July 2)
Anthony Angus, Team leader of recreation services at Lincoln City Council wrote/said:
"We are currently preparing a comprehensive leisure strategy in consultation with communities and sports groups. This will help to identify any gaps in provision and inform the council's future planning for any long-term investment. Provision of a 50m competition pool would require support in a regional context and need to fulfil provision criteria from bodies such as Sport England."
Lincolnshire Echo (July 2)
Chris Wagstaff, teaching coordinator for City of Lincoln Pentaqua wrote:
"Our swimmers have to go to Loughborough or Sheffield to train in a 50m pool and this can only happen a couple of times a month. But if our swimmers want to compete on a national level, they need experience of swimming in a 50m pool because it is a whole different ball game to swimming in a 25m pool."