02-24 NEWS:SPN Master pages 14/7/09 12:16 Page 23
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NEWS IN BRIEF
Signature Pools help hotel win praise
The owners of a Torquay hotel
US abandons initiative have been praised for
The Association of Pool & Spa renovating their swimming pool
Professionals in the Unites States following the advice of experts
has abandoned its nationwide hot at a safety seminar. Maxine and
tub campaign. Active since mid- Nigel Fisher from the Richwood
2007, the ambitious Hot Tub Hotel decided to refurbish their
Industry Growth Initiative sought pool, including the removal of
to reverse the downward trend in the gradient and reducing its
spa sales. Its goal was to raise depth after attending a tourism
US$10m annually for mass-market industry seminar organised by
advertising, as well as education Torbay Council. The couple who
and certification programmes. own and run the 17-bedroom
Hurt by a lack of funding from spa hotel spent £15,000 to remove
manufacturers – many of whom the gradient in their 30ft long
Signature Pools renovates to a new higher safety standards
were already battered by a pool and line it with a non slip
sluggish economy – the campaign padded liner and making it
never gained the momentum. generally safer. The work was “Since somebody drowned in spa that we imported especially
APSP leaders had hoped to carry carried out by Signature Pools. one of our local hotels last year for them from the states.”
it through the early stages of Keir Balouza from Signature there has been a huge push by Mr Fisher said: “Now these
implementation. Pools said: ”We have worked our local HSE to bring in these EU regulations are coming into
very closely with our local HSE in new recommendations so that place as well. Our pool was very
regards to re-profiling the base the local swimming pools are in tired and needed doing so this
Open air pool of the swimming pool and to full compliance. came as a great opportunity to
celebrations bring the rest of the area in to “Our clients were the first in give it a facelift.”
Celebrations to mark the 75th full compliance with the new EU Torbay to embrace these
anniversary of Stonehaven’s open- recommendations following a changes and by doing so also
SIGNATURE POOLS
air swimming pool in Scotland seminar for all the commercial had some nice features added
pc www.signaturepoolsuk.com
were officially opened by First pool owners in Torbay. to their pool such as a spillover
Minister Alex Salmond. He
unveiled a plaque to mark the
occasion on his first visit to the
pool and praised the volunteers POOL SESSIONS HELP BUILD COMMUNITY
that run it. The lifesaving team at Thirsk Swimming Pool in Yorkshire has developed a strong working relationship
Mr Salmond said: “There are with the local swimming club and Rookie Lifeguards by combining training sessions, providing the young
only two open-air pools left in swimmers with a lifesaving path through Rookie and on to qualifications.
Scotland and they are doing Most lifesaving and swimming clubs suffer with a drop off in members aged 14, 15 and 16. Additionally,
extremely well. When I was a lad I the facilities they use often have a relatively high turnover of lifeguards.
went to a similar pool like this in “To combat these two issues we felt that there was a big synergy between our adult NPLQ lifeguards
Portobello. It’s a fantastic facility and our junior swimmers. We began a scheme which saw older swimmers from Thirsk White Horse Swim
for the kids and it is exactly what Team introduced to lifesaving through Rookie – and it has gone from strength to strength. By combining
you need. training sessions we can host regular ongoing training and competency assessments for our older
members while providing valuable partnerships and learning for our Rookie Lifeguards,” says Myles
Strudwick, Trainer/Assessor from Thirsk.
Pool lining vandalised “The positive effects of running this programme are clear. There is a strong community feel to our club
More than £3,000 worth of – children, teenagers and adults work together. It builds confidence in all our members and means they
damage was chased when vandals are keen to stay involved in both lifesaving and swimming.“
cut the pool lining of the pool at
Weswood Junior School in March,
Cambridgeshire. The damage
meant the pool had to be closed
Capturing the best of summer sunshine
for two full weeks while repairs
were carried out. ‘Sunburst’ – the most efficient creates a vacuum around the temperature of 28°C from June
solar energy system for heating heat pipe, which means that the to September and also to extend
swimming pools – capturing free system is so efficient the swimming season, with
New Durham pool energy from the sun, even on temperatures of up to 250°C can acceptable bathing temperatures
A new pool is to be built on a site cloudy days – is getting a high be reached, far in excess of being potentially achieved as
next to the existing pool on the profile this summer. traditional black solar panels.” early as April, without any other
Millom School in Cumbria. The “Think of it as a vacuum flask,” ‘Sunburst’ is made up of a source of heating.
Millom Pool Partnership, which is says Shaun Adams of Golden series of Pyrex glass vacuum Grants are available from the
made up of local residents and Coast. “The insulating effect of tubes within which are closed Carbon Trust when solar power is
representatives, has agreed the evacuated tube technology copper heat pipes. These pipes used to heat commercial pools.
site and secured funding for protrude into a manifold In a domestic situation, whilst no
design and technical support through which the water is grants are available, the
consultants. There is to be a pumped, heating it as it passes. efficiency of the system means
‘capped’ grant offer of £75,315 The system is most effective on that it is possible to heat the
from the North West Development clear, still and warm summer days domestic hot water supply and a
Agency for design work. but will still heat up even on pool, thereby improving the pay-
overcast and windy days. It is back time by reducing the overall
possible to maintain pool water household energy bills.
Visit our website at www.swimmingpoolnews.co.uk AUGUST 09 swimming pool news 23
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