Hopes to re-establish lido in idyllic town dashed
Stephen Price
Hopes to re-establish a once-popular lido in a historic Abergavenny park have been dashed, with the community group behind the project sharing disappointment in the local council.
Abergavenny Lido group was established to bring a heated open air pool back to Bailey Park in Abergavenny “so that a healthy lifestyle can be enjoyed by everyone, all year round”.
The town’s Lido was extremely popular in its heyday, having been built in 1938 but it was decommissioned and demolished in 1996 due to concerns over maintenance and operating costs, while trends changed and Abergavenny gained an indoor pool at nearby King Henry VIII School.
Hopes to bring back Abergavenny’s lido are six years in the making, and steered by an entirely voluntary group, but recruiting new committee members had become difficult in recent years.
Statement
In a statement shared to the community project’s Facebook Page, a spokesperson shared: “As no new people have come forward to serve as committee members, and with the negative reaction to the project from Monmouthshire County Council, the current committee members have regretfully decided to close the project at the end of November 2024 and distribute the remaining funds to a worthwhile local cause.”
Sharing background to the decision, they continued: “After failing to get a satisfactory “Letter of Comfort” from MCC, we are left with the comprehensive Feasibility Study and potential architectural designs to show for our efforts.
“We always made it clear that all the money raised from local donations was needed to fund the Feasibility Study, so it is a real shame that without ‘fresh blood’ in the group we cannot move the project on.
“That said, the committee members are more than willing to share all the information, drawings, design work, and marketing materials that have been amassed over the last six or seven years, to anyone wanting to take this further.
“We have a small amount of money left in the kitty and current thinking is to donate this to the Friends of Bailey Park for use in refurbishing the children’s playground.
“Seeing the spare cash going to a local amenity that can be enjoyed by many seems a sensible thing to do, but of course this post is a call to action if supporters have a better idea for its use.
“Without new members and a renewed approach, the project to return the Lido to Abergavenny will now be mothballed from the end of this month. Please share this to anyone who might still be interested in taking the work on.
“Thanks for all your support and we very much wish the project could have been successful.”
Disappointment
Outdoor swimming has gained a resurgence in recent years, and the group which formed to bring the project forward was inspired by the growing popularity of the National Lido of Wales in Pontypridd.
In the 1920s and 1930s, with the support of statutory bodies such as the Miners’ Welfare Fund and the Special Areas Commission, volunteers constructed open-air swimming baths in places including Aberavon, Aberdare, Abertillery, Abersychan, Pontnewynydd and Swansea.
Abergavenny’s lido consisted of a large adult bath, a smaller, shallower and squarer bath used by children, as well as a paddling pool and changing boxes bordering the pool.
People used to queue to get in through the turnstile, paying 20p to enter and using spare pennies to buy sweets in the tuck shop.
Many in the community have taken to social media to share their disappointment, after years of fundraising, with Erin Gaitskell writing: “This is such a shame, having a lido in town will make such a difference not only to the residents here but also people who come here on holiday.
“People won’t be keen to come to Abergavenny to explore the area if all we have are discount/charity shops. We need other things just like this. Unfortunately I am not in a position to be part of a committee to help make this happen, I really hope others step forward to help.
“Thank you and well done for everything you have done so far.”
Another wrote: “It’s so sad, I was lucky enough to enjoy the pool when I was younger, great times had there.”
While Abergavenny Lido Group added: “Thanks for the suggestions but we need new people to do things like this.
“After 6 years the current committee members have run out of puff! That’s why more volunteers need to come forward.”
Nation.Cymru has contacted Monmouthshire County Council for a response.
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