Covid: Beccles Lido reopening is 'such a treat'

Open-air swimming pools can reopen in England from Monday

Lockdown-easing measures have seen open-air pools reopen in England. What does it mean to those getting back into the water?

"I'm super excited to be out doing some exercise," says Jasmine Stedman, who is nine months' pregnant.

She says she started swimming before Christmas as a way of keeping fit while pregnant but then lockdown happened.

As she gets closer to her due date, she says she is starting to "feel really heavy" and is looking forward to the "weightlessness" of being in the water.

Jasmine Stedman is nine months' pregnant and excited to be able to exercise

She says the reopening of her local outdoor pool, Beccles Lido in Suffolk, is "perfect timing for me".

The heated open air pool is one of a handful to be welcoming swimmers on the first day of the latest stage in the government's roadmap out of lockdown.

Swimmers have to pre-book a slot as, while normally the pool would have capacity for 149 people, restrictions mean it can currently have a maximum of 30.

Swimmers have to pre-book a slot to swim at Beccles Lido

Before 07:00 BST on Monday, there were about 20 people queuing outside keen to get in the 28C (82F) water.

First in line was Jill Lockwood.

The 58-year-old from Pakefield, near Lowestoft, says being able to book a slot for the first day was like "getting the golden ticket in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory".

Jill Lockwood says getting a slot to swim was like "the golden ticket in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"

"I haven't swum since before Christmas and I usually swim several times a week and this is the first pool that's reopening.

"I just want to swim again, I've missed it so much - I'm very excited," she says.

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Heather Storr, 70, says the atmosphere at the lido was "joyous".

"I usually swim every day of the year outdoors in London but I've been locked down in Bungay so I've been waiting for this lido to open ever since it's been closed," she says.

The lido, owned by a community-run charity, underwent a £750,000 refurbishment in 2019

Beccles Lido is owned by a community-run charity and relies on volunteers as well as its staff.

It underwent a £750,000 refurbishment in September 2019 which finished in June 2020.

The facility reopened in July after the first lockdown restrictions lifted and remained open until September.

It was open on-and-off for those hardy swimmers who were able to swim when the boilers were switched off - although local flooding caused problems for the pool at the end of December just before the lockdown measures came in.

Rachel Ayers says it is "such a treat" for outdoors pools to reopen

With no pools, the "stay at home" message and the flooding of the River Waveney, it was a triple whammy for keen swimmer Rachel Ayers.

The 41-year-old from Beccles says: "I swim everyday usually, usually in the river but the river flooded quite spectacularly over Christmas and was pretty murky and horrible for some months so that curtailed the swimming and getting to the sea from here didn't quite feel local so it didn't feel quite like what I could do.

"So for me it's freedom, but also the lido being open is family."

The teachers says she's is looking forward to taking her three daughters to the first family session.

"Having the outdoor pools open first is just such a treat," she adds.

General manager Matt Days says it was a "struggle" getting ready for the opening day

General manager Matt Days says the lockdown has been "very tough" for the lido.

"We've not had any income which has made it very difficult for our full-time staff, some of whom were unable to be furloughed because they didn't fall into the categories for the furlough scheme so we've had to continue paying some of our staff," he says.

Mr Day is "tired, relieved and proud" to have reopened the Beccles Lido

"It's been tough to get open in the schedule that we had, although we've had a few weeks of notice from Boris Johnson, it's been a struggle.

"Obviously we can't have massive, big work parties down here getting everything done so there's been a few of us putting in 10 or 12-hour days to make sure that everything is ready and prepared for today."

Now they have got to the opening day, he says: "For me it's a combination of tiredness, relief that we've got here and we're open and that we're one of the first in the country to open, and a sense of pride and joy that we're able to share this wonderful facility with the people of Beccles, Suffolk and the wider community."