Bath's Royal United Hospital pool's future in hands of ticket buyers

“I always made regular use of the pool in the summer, when I worked at the RUH. But, I think that even back, then the Trust had their eyes on the site of the Social Club and swimming pool for an alternative use.”

“I've not seen the pool but there is a photo here from 2009

http://tinyurl.com/benkw6t”

“Living locally I've been aware of it being used but attempts to discover whether I could use it have always either drawn a blank or latterly that I needed to know someone on the staff to nominate me as a guest. So if its been underused, its been because its been hidden away and guarded too jealously from the local population. Even now, I'm not committing to paying £150 for a years season ticket for a pool I've never even seen a photo of, let alone had a chance to try out! On that basis, on balance I suspect most locals would prefer they emptied it, dug out a bit deeper, and had a multi storey car park on the site (couple of levels underground and a couple above) with a view to shifting some of the staff and patient cars clogging up Weston.”

“Nice spot for a mini multi storey car park.......”

“As far as I am aware the pool has always been used by staff only.”

“Spot on Ruddd! However, again, that little cynical voice in me reckons that we are on to a loser here. Mark my words, plans are already underfoot (or water in this case) - this pool's days are numbered and it will not be for the want of more usage by swimmers.”

“Once upon a time ... a local authority owned open air pool local to me, unheated, restricted opening hours, simply withered away and very nearly became a building site.

A community group formed, came to an arrangement with the local authority, somehow raised cash to install the equipment to heat the pool, announced that the pool would open from six in the morning seven days a week, all year round, no more opportunity for people to forget it existed ... and flung open the doors with some trepidation.

The pool was an immediate hit and has thrived ever since, summer and winter. It very soon opened a cafe too and is now a wild success for the community that supports it. The two vital ingredients in this achievement were the heating, and the year-round opening - the winter opening allowed useage to grow without being checked by the seasons.

There might just be an enormous opportunity here too. The RUH pool can already tick the 'Heating' box, but it's had very little by way of publicity and marketing.

Open air pools when they're done right are particularly attractive to swimmers - few people know that swimming's available to the public at the RUH - so there's everything to play for.

Lastly, despite the bacon butties at the cafe it might then support, it's also an investment in people's health and wellbeing.”

“During my time as both in-patient and outpatient at the RUH, I would have loved to have made some use of this swimming pool and would have willingly paid whatever fee required. However, each time I have made enquiries, I have been told that it was for RUH staff only. If I wanted to make use of the pool I would have to have known a member of staff who would then have given me 'guest' status. So, RUH, any problem with this pool seems to be of your own making - or, the cynical in me wonders if they simply want to use the land for the proposed building.”

“Never heard of it! Advertising is needed.....btw do you get your money back on a season ticket if it closes?”

“A pool! It's the first that I have heard of it! Parking at the RUH is easy IF you ride a bike!”