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Brockwell Lido - chat, news and more

Ms Ordinary said:
I thought Fusion's lease had something about a commitment to keep the pool open to the local community.
Which it is (perhaps unintentionally) failing to do at the moment.
Unless it's purely coincidence that the only people who want to go swimming this summer are affluent white people.

Anyway - I noticed they are running a summer camp which seems (I'm a bit out of touch these days) to be about the going rate for 8.30 to 5.30 all day childcare & accepts childcare vouchers, so that's good, I think.

But a lot of the things that made it affordable - cheaper morning swims, over-60's pricing (?) - seem to have gone, and the pre-booking system is definitely a barrier to people just turning up.
It's a real shame, & I hope it's something they'd address.

Apart from anything else, Lidos were also built to provide safe swimming for the public, and if we get more heatwaves, and local people are excluded - for whatever reason - from their local lidos, I expect people will try & cool off in whatever water they can access, which has safety implications.
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Agree with all you say

I blame Lambeth for not making the contract between Lambeth and Fusion on same terms as the one between GLL/ Better and Lambeth.

The concessions are better at the Brixton Rec. As over 60 Lambeth resident I can swim swim at Rec for one pound and ten pence a swim.

Also Lambeth are very poor at overseeing contracts.

My impression is that Lambeth are so glad that someone else will run a service that officers get to chummy with outsourced providers. Instead of keeping firm eye on contract compliance.

Residents come last. Try and query anything and your met with its so difficult. Or your being difficult.

Cllrs just sit there and do nothing. Just support officers.

When Lambeth bring back leisure services in-house I'm really wondering how they will react to residents querying things. As all responsibility will fall on them
 
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Gramsci said:
Also Lambeth are very poor at overseeing contracts.

My impression is that Lambeth are so glad that someone else will run a service that officers get to chummy with outsourced providers. Instead of keeping firm eye on contract compliance.

Residents come last. Try and query anything and your met with its so difficult. Or your being difficult.

Cllrs just sit there and do nothing. Just support officers.
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Quite. This is my fear with handing Windrush Square over to Ros Atkins and chums.
 
TopCat said:
I want a few changes.
Bag searches for weapons only
Turn up and swim
Affordable for all inc free to skint.
Sensible smoking policy for fags and cannabis
Bring your own beer (sensible levels, say one crate)
Reggae music on all day, with stack and selector.
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Sounds ideal. Probably not for the middle class folk who probably like to regale their tales of 'early morning swims at the lido' round the dinner table.
 
How does anyone actually make a booking these days?

The Fusion app and website are both completely unusable for a variety of reasons, and of course no-one picks up the phone.
 
Table Wolf said:
How does anyone actually make a booking these days?

The Fusion app and website are both completely unusable for a variety of reasons, and of course no-one picks up the phone.
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Via the app. But you have to be very quick off the mark at the moment and book a week ahead. Sometimes you get lucky and there's a cancellation or they release more slots.
 
The website is terrible, only the App works for bookings. Why do you even need to book still?

On the plus side you can now get a coffee and sit in the cafe, no stupid segregation.
 
Hi All,

I've been a member of the lido since 2017 and I have never know it in such disrepair.

Are other people finding that Fusion Lifestyle are essentially running the place into the ground?

I've been through all the official routes for raising concerns with Fusion but they don't even respond to my emails now.

I'd like to speak with people who are suffering due to this bad management and try to gain some traction with Fusion to have things improved.

Thanks
 
Well the good news for this year, is that for the price of a coffee, you can usually just stroll in through the cafe without paying, as long as you look like a regular customer (white, middle-aged, probably lives in Herne Hill or Dulwich).

But its sunny, and its a Bank Holiday weekend, and the first weekend of half-term, and there are no children swimming because its not possible to book a family swim.

Feels like during Covid, the place morphed into a resort for white middle classes and has stayed like that. Don't blame any of the younger people who come here now, because 4 years is a long time and how would they even know that this used to be a racially and socially diverse community resource?

There were weekends last summer when it actively felt uncomfortable to me that almost the only people of colour / not middle class seemed to be the staff & (for full disconnection) the people allowed in some weekends to run the jerk chicken stall.

I feel like I'm probably being over-sensitive for noticing any of this, and maybe its just a function of changing demographics that the only people who can afford to live in Brixton these days are wealthy or students.
 
This is completely correct. It was noted last year and nothing has changed. On top of that the women's changing rooms and loos have been shut for what... 6 months now?

No kids is unforgiveable. Why would they not let kids in?

I've given up engaging with Fusion. It's too infuriating and they'll be gone before much longer anyway.
 
coldwaterswim said:
I’ve never even seen anyone working on the women’s changing rooms (wet side) that feel like they have been shut for forever now 😢
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Oh, now I wonder if they can't let children in until there's a functioning changing room?
Or don't want to have to let them through to use the gym changing room & toilets?
 
Was in the Rec today and its still diverse group of people using it.

As it is warmer outside more kids and families in learner pool.

Also lot of teenagers in main pool. ( not the lane) Which was good to see.

Booking- is this a post Covid thing? Booking online was started for swimming due to limiting numbers in pool. And kept once lockdown is over.
 
I'm not sure - going back 20 years, for me it was always the Rec for regular (ie affordable) swims and the Lido for an occasional summertime day out, so I think there's always been a price difference.

Even now, if you're a frequent
 
Enough swimmer to have a season ticket, it probably works out about £2 or less a swim BUT only if you can afford the upfront cost which is obviously a barrier.
 
It’s a good deal if you go a lot & you like the open air. The rec is grotty imho. Nothing like the sky.
 
DaphneM said:
It’s a good deal if you go a lot & you like the open air. The rec is grotty imho. Nothing like the sky.
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I've avoided it for a long while but Streatham pool where my son has lessons has had boiler issues two weeks running so we braved the Rec. Apart from a bit disorganised and freezing cold changing rooms despite being boiling hot outside, it was fine. Kids pool was 29C. I was pleasantly surprised.
 
Rushy said:
I've avoided it for a long while but Streatham pool where my son has lessons has had boiler issues two weeks running so we braved the Rec. Apart from a bit disorganised and freezing cold changing rooms despite being boiling hot outside, it was fine. Kids pool was 29C. I was pleasantly surprised.
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i haven't been since it was taken back by Lambeth. Was annoyed at first but now use a Better gym near work. All of which are so much nicer than the Rec i think. cleaner/less crowded, equipment in better nick etc
 
OK - good news is you can now book a family swim on the app!
Sessions showing up for 10.30am on Friday 2 June, Saturday & Sunday & looks like there are 80 places per session - with a lot already booked out.
 
confusion_lifes said:
Hi All,

I've been a member of the lido since 2017 and I have never know it in such disrepair.

Are other people finding that Fusion Lifestyle are essentially running the place into the ground?

I've been through all the official routes for raising concerns with Fusion but they don't even respond to my emails now.

I'd like to speak with people who are suffering due to this bad management and try to gain some traction with Fusion to have things improved.

Thanks
Click to expand...
Maybe it's being done on purpose, low usage (due to being unable to book due to poor app) place runs into disrepair and suddenly it can be closed.

But I'm sure they wouldn't sell the land to a developer to build a block of flats on or something.
 
Heard a rumour there's some kind of meeting 6pm tonight at Brockwell Lido, user group I think but public welcome.
Only a rumour though!
 
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