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.

Your pool needs you!

It's that time of year again already. We're holding this year's AGM on Tuesday 27th March at 8pm in the Westwoods Center. Please come and join us to help us plan for the coming year. (Please note, the date has been changed!)

The pool is run by quite a small team who would love to have some more help! We need people to help fundraise, do pool maintenance, supervise swims and help with chemical tests - if you can help with any of this we'd be delighted to see you. The more the merrier. Training is provided if necessary.

Here's looking forward to a nice hot summer!

Pool open for the holidays!

The pool is open to children of playgroup and primary school age (under 12) and their families during the holidays. We are open every day from 2pm to 4pm, weather permitting.

This is what you need to know:

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.

It's a boi-ler (groan)

As no doubt you can tell from the previous post, we reached our fundraising target (and then some!) and so we went ahead with the installation of the new boiler. It was a mad, hectic time. Just three weeks after we began our fundraising campaign, we were booking the work, and getting on with all the other things that need doing to get the pool open at the start of the season - like cleaning out the pool, weeding and generally tidying up and organising rescue training.

So, the old boiler is no more. Here are a few photos so that we may remember it:

And here is the swanky new boiler:

THANK YOU to everyone who helped make this possible, by donating money or time or just helping to spread the word.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

Our fundraising campaign for the new boiler has been featured in the local papers, and the articles can be read online. The Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard went with the headline Please help to save town pool, and the Gloucestershire Echo with Fundraisers take plunge for pool. Great articles!

May Marathon Madness

On Friday 20th May 2011, the school will be runnning a marathon, raising money towards a new boiler for the swimming pool! Pairs of classes will be running a marathon distance between them (26.2 miles!) The pairs will be: Classes 1 & 6, 2 & 5 and 3 & 4! They will be running, walking, skipping, hopping, cycling and other crazy way they can think of. Each pair of classes will decide how to work together to cover the distance. It will take place during the whole day and will be run across the fields and both playgrounds. In total, the school will do three marathons!!