70s and 80s disco - 1st February 2014

In a repeat of last year's wildly successful event, the disco is back!
Saturday 1st February 2014, 8pm to midnight.
The Westwoods Centre, Northleach.
Tickets £10 including a bacon sarnie.

Childrens' Cinema on 21 December

A beautiful Christmas film to get us in the mood and help us raise funds for the pool next summer! Suggested donation of £2 per child. Lovely popcorn and other refreshments available.

Enter Our Dog Show at Charter Fair

Come to our dog show at Northleach Charter Fair on Saturday 29th June.

Entry is from 12 on the field. Enter as many classes as you want on the day. The entry fee is £1.30 per class per dog.

The classes are….dog the judge would most like to take home, waggiest tail, handsomest dog, prettiest bitch, best condition, best non pedigree, best rescue, best junior (6-14yrs) handler, best adult handler, best movement non matching brace, best novelty in show, best companion, best veteran, fancy dress, gundog, non sporting, yearling, puppy and AV open.

The show starts at 1pm. You will find the display area over towards the tennis courts.

There are rosettes and prizes for winning dogs as well as for all children who take dogs into the ring.

You can't get much for £10 these days...

A pint of beer and a packet of cigarettes

Four cappuccinos in the wine bar

A decent bottle of wine in the supermarket

One family swim at Cotwold Leisure pool in Bourton





We ask for a vountary contribution of just £10 per child to swim for the half term. Each class swims at least twice per week - the reception class aim to swim every day - so this represents excellent value for money!

Sadly, last year only 37% of parents/carers chose to make their contribution, donating a total of £690. With gift aid it increased to £883, leaving a shortfall of £3,617. Our oil bill alone was £2,400. We make up the shortfall through our fundraising activities, but it's an awful lot of work.

Every child can swim whether or not their parents pay. We recognise that some families face genuine hardship, and we understand if that is the case. However, if you can afford £10, then we really need your support.

Donations can be made by cash or cheque. Please download, complete and return the form to Mrs Spice with cash or cheques made payable to Friends of Northleach Swimming Pool.

Please note: We are not currently able to accept online donations. Charity Giving has shut down.

Updated on 14 July 2013

Pool opens this weekend

Great news! The pool will be open this weekend, on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th June, 2-4pm.

Unfortunately, we currently don't have enough volunteers to open the pool after school, so we plan to open at weekends only for the time being. If you think you can help us out with pool supervision, please get in touch. Water rescue and first aid training is provided.

Here's a reminder of our admissions policy:

The pool is open to children of playgroup and primary school age (under 12) and their families.

Price
£1:50 per child per session.

Age 8 and over
Can swim unaccompanied, but must provide an emergency contact tel. number. Please let us know about any health conditions, such as asthma.

Under 8s
Must be accompanied by a responsible adult (age 18+)
Although you are not required to be in the water with your child(ren), you should keep a close eye on them and make sure they know and follow the pool rules - in particular no running along the pool side and no diving or jumping into the water (always use the steps to enter and exit the pool).

Supervision ratios for under 8s
Age 4 to 7: One adult to three children.
Age 3 and under: One adult to two children with armbands. One to one without.
Mixed ages: One adult can supervise one child age 3 or younger with armbands plus one or two children age 4 to 7.

Babies/toddlers
Supervision must be in the pool.
Swim nappies must be worn (the gel in standard nappies is not suitable for pools).
We don't recommend swimming with babies less than six months old, the water is heated, but it still isn't really warm enough for such tiny bodies!

Healthy swimming
Chlorine kills most germs within minutes, but you can help us stop germs getting in the pool in the first place by following three simple guidelines:

1. Don't swim when you feel unwell.
2. Use the toilet and wash hands before getting in the pool.
3. Make sure your child has frequent bathroom breaks.

AGM - 8pm Wednesday 5 June

The AGM of Friends of Northleach Swimming Pool will take place at 8pm, Wednesday 5 June 2013, in the Westwoods Centre.

Many hands make light work, as they say. Please help us keep the pool running for another year!

This is the meeting where the Officers get elected for the next 12 months. Claire and I are happy to continue volunteering for the pool, but we need one other person to join the committee, either as Chair, or Secretary, depending on where their skills lie. Don’t worry, we won’t drop newcomers in at the deep end!

It's odd but I remember saying that last year...

Agenda as follows:

1. Acceptance of minutes
2. Report on 2012 season
3. Election of Officers
4. Pool equipment update
5. Fundraising for 2013
6. AOB

Pauline Rigby, Secretary

We want to make more friends!

Did you know? Northleach Open Air Swimming Pool was first opened in July 1965. It was built by the community working together with the school, and benefits the local children. It is an ideal learner pool and brilliant fun for all children up to around age 11. You can come along to sessions or hire the pool for birthday parties or just for a couple of hours of private use.

The pool is a charity and is funded by donations from the community. It is volunteer run by "Friends of Northleach Swimming Pool" and we really need some help to keep this wonderful resource open. Last year the pool was run by a small and dedicated group of four people for the entire summer. We need to spread the workload or we’ll quite literally go under!

Could you:

• Become a lifeguard. We will provide all the training you need including first aid, in return for which we would ask for a couple of hours a week to oversee swimming sessions. The training takes around 10 hours over 2 sessions - dates for this year to be confirmed.
• Test the water. Whilst the pool is open the water needs regular testing to ensure the water is clean and safe. On-site training is provided and covers simple tests using a photometer to check the chlorine and pH levels. 
• Become the secretary. Help keep our committee organised. It's not an all year round job, most of the work is in the summer term. The main task are taking minutes at meetings and record keeping, keeping the contact list and CRB checks up to date.
• Help at our fundraising events. An hour here or there to help out with a BBQ or stall at the Charter Fair would make all the difference. 

Last but not least, we need some summer sun this year! If you have any influence over the weather then please use it.

Whether you want to dip in a toe or jump right in, any and all help will be greatly appreciated! To find out more about everything swimming pool, email us at fonspool@gmail.com. Stay in touch by becoming our friend on Facebook www.facebook.com/northleachpool.

Car Boot Sale on 6 May

We are holding a car boot/table top sale in the car park at Sebastian Sellers, The Coalyard, Northleach.

10:30am to 2:30pm on bank holiday Monday, 6 May 2013.

To book a pitch e-mail fonspool@gmail.com or phone Caroline on 01451 861098.