We are happy to confirm that all the due diligence is now complete and as such the cold-water swimming trial will launch on Saturday 25th November for six weeks (final session will be Saturday 16th December).
The Lido will be open once a week on a Saturday morning with swimmers being able book one of two sessions: 9am – 9:45am or 10am – 10:45am. Please note that there is a maximum of 16 swimmers per session, so booking is advised. Entry is £7.50.
Town Clerk, Brie Logan, commented: “We were approached by residents at the end of our main season about the possibility of running cold-water sessions during the winter, so we are really pleased that we’ve been able to facilitate this trial.
“Of course, we wouldn’t have been able to do this without the support of the Friends of Shaftesbury Swimming and The Gillingham Community & Leisure Trust. We hope that the sessions prove popular and that it saves residents one or two trips to the sea!”
We are also delighted to welcome Lindsay Aubrey to the Lido. Lindsay is a cold-water immersion instructor who runs classes for people to gain a greater awareness of how to enter cold water, learn about what happens to their body and also how to be safe.
Lindsay has kindly offered to carry out a briefing session in advance of the 9am sessions on 25th November and 2nd December for those who are keen to experience the benefits of cold-water swimming, but who have never done it before. Lindsay says, “You don’t even have to swim as you could just enjoy being in the cold water in the shallow end.”
Please note that this class is not suitable for those who are pregnant, epileptic or those who currently have or have previously had cardiovascular issues.
If these sessions prove popular, then there may be an opportunity to extend the cold-water experience into the new year.
.