'It's becoming harder and harder'- Peterborough swimming club with no pool defying the odds in the face of Regional Pool and Lido losses

On the surface, City of Peterborough Swimming Club (COPS) is thriving but deep down, the club is delivering success while dealing with as big a challenges of any sports team in the city.

Swimming needs a pool, something becoming increasingly in short supply in the city, which the club admits is making its life “harder and harder.”

In September 2023, the club’s main base, the Regional Pool, was closed due to the presence of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated concrete (RAAC) and before that, the pool was closed twice after Legionella was found at the facility.

The pool has not reopened since and is now set for demolition, which has forced the club to re-design its programme across five facilities in the area- Jack Hunt School, Stanground, Oundle, Stamford Junior Pool and Whittlesey.

While presenting a logistical issue in terms of increased travel costs, the club has also has to foot the bill for sourcing and funding life guards at the Stamford facility, host its morning sessions in the four-lane Jack Hunt facility and has been left with Whittlesey as the only venue up to the standards to host an official meet.

These Swim England meets are vital for the club to survive as the money from memberships alone does not cover the club’s outgoings.

Now, the club faces a fresh blow as plans in the city’s latest budget would see The Lido- which the club was relying on using in the summer months- mothballed to create a saving of £400,000.

COPS Co-Chairman Morgan Stevenson said: “We’re trying to maximise every opportunity that we can but it is difficult and we are extremely eager to see some genuine progress on what the new Regional Pool looks like.

“The Lido is also an icon of our city skyline with an immense character in terms of what it offers the city. We love it because it offers us the chance to train long course in the summer and from a city perspective, it’s a big part of the health and wellbeing, joy of swimming and social scene.

“I hope this is not a decision the council are coming to lightly. If they remove another facility, we have to have firm and credible commitments on what is going to be built and when in order to make up for the loss of the Lido and the Regional, which would be disastrous.

"If we were to lose another facility, particularly Whittlesey, we would be in a grave position and one of potentially having to run the whole programme outside of the Peterborough city area.”

In the pool, the club continues to defy its difficulties though.

At last month’s prestigious Swim England National Awards, he 200-member club was nominated as a Finalist for Club of the Year, with Coach Ben Negus taking the title for Performance Pathway Coach of the Year.

Coach Negus said, “This award recognises the collective efforts and hard work of the entire club. I never expected to win, but I am honoured to share this achievement with everyone who has contributed to our success.”

“The loss of the regional pool has been devastating. It was the only facility in the area capable of accommodating level two competition athletes. Navigating these challenges has required immense effort, but the determination and resilience of our members have been incredible.”

In praise of the club’s coach, Mr Stevenson added: “It was an incredible recognition for the leadership and the work he put in to the programme and to navigate the club from losing the Regional. The logistical headache of rebuilding an entire swim programme across five pools for 12 squads was huge and the financial strain of having to go to much more expensive pools was immense.

The club also had 14 representatives at the Swim England National Winter Championships in Sheffield, with three COPS graduates also there swimming for university teams.

Notable performers included Josh Sackree, who won the 50m Backstroke Junior Final in a club record 28.28 seconds and Belle Cameron with came second in the 200m Breaststroke Junior Final with a personal best time of 2:31:70.

Beyond the club’s own success and future development possibilities, COPS are also deeply concerned about the impact on a lack of access to pool time would have on the city’s children.

Mr Stevenson added: “Losing the Regional Pool has already had an immediate impact on the learning to swim demands and affected the way primary schools could use it to ensure every child gets an opportunity to learn to swim and enjoy water.

“We are hearing a lot of pressure on waiting lists and this is impacting our young children’s ability to be able to swim and enjoy water now and will continue to do so for the next three to five and beyond years, even if everything went to plan with a new Regional Pool.

“It’s not just about the future survival of our club but what the people of Peterborough should be enjoying, not as a dream, offering but as a right of living in a modern city.”

“We are a club that, despite these challenges, trying to do what we can to deliver the results and push out young swimmers to reach their potential but it is becoming harder and harder to do that if we’re losing pool time in the city.”