Shere Swimming Pool Club

October

The following email was sent out to the members on 26th October:

Dear Members,

You are cordially invited to attend our Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Monday 13 November 8pm, at Tanyard Hall, Gomshall GU5 9LF.  Please note that parking here is quite limited.

As we are a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) of which you are the members, we need approval of the Trustees Annual Report and Accounts at our AGM. So we are very keen for you to join us if you can and you will be most welcome to take part in the discussions about the many interesting developments relating to your Swimming Pool Club.

INFORMATION PROVIDED
We are including for your information (as links to the documents on our website):

1.      The AGM Agenda 2023 – plus the draft minutes of the 2022 AGM

2.      The Trustees Annual Report 2023 (TAR) (9  pages) and Accounts, (17 pages) for the year ending 30 September 2023, including accompanying notes and the Examiner's Report.

The Accounts have been approved by the Trustees and reviewed and certified by our Examiner, Julie Dudley thus complying with the Charity Commission requirements.
You, as members of the club are asked to review and approve the TAR and Accounts by attending the AGM.

KEY MESSAGES AND ACTION REQUESTED
In addition to reviewing the TAR & Accounts we would like to mention:

Trustee Appointments
After three years Trustees need to stand down each year in rotation, though they may stand again for re-appointment at the same AGM.
This year it is the turn of the five trustees listed below under 2023 to stand down, as they have been on the committee the longest.  

The years in which each trustee is due to stand down are set out below:

Of the five trustees due to stand down, David Roe and David Pryor will be resigning this year while Jenny Taylor, Amanda Hall and Jenny Kingcome are willing to stand again.

Otherwise, all other trustees have signified their willingness to continue in their trustee roles. We are looking to keep the number of trustees to around 12 in order to keep the administration manageable, so this means that there are two vacancies and two roles to fill- i.e. that of Chair and Membership Secretary.

Nicola Walker has indicated that she is willing to stand as Chair.

The trustees are currently finalising a recommendation for Membership Secretary.

Stage 3 Pool Upgrade Developments - Air Source Heat Pump and New Gas Boiler 
The considerable fundraising efforts supported by members have borne fruit and we have now completed the third (and final) stage of major pool renovations. The hybrid heating system experienced some initial teething issues ,and we are grateful for the forbearance of members when pool temperatures did not quite reach the planned 26C on some days . This settled down towards the end of August, the pool temperatures were maintained with the heating system operating more efficiently than the old gas boilers, also reducing our carbon emissions.  The 2024 season will be the first full season with the new system operating fully, coupled with new fixed term contracts for utilities. These give us certainty on price per unit- but as for domestic users are at a higher overall cost than previous utility contracts.  

School Swimming
Shere and Clandon schools have used the pool for the first time this season to provide swimming lessons for children in year 2. This has gone very well with the children, some of whom had never swum before, making progress and enjoying the experience.

Members Feedback
We are always pleased to hear members feedback and acknowledge the comments earlier in the season about pool temperatures . There has also been discussion about the availability of lanes to book - particularly at popular times when it is sunny. The trustees have discussed this, weighed up the feedback received and consider on balance we have the split of lane and open swimming about right. Open Swimming is available in the morning (principally for lane swimming) and from 3-6pm on weekdays and 2pm ‘til close at weekends.

Membership Application Process
Next season we are proposing to move the membership application process online to speed things up and simplify the operation for the new Membership Secretary.  If any members consider that this might be a problem for them, please contact the new MembershipSecretary (membersec[at]sherepool.org.uk) after the AGM to discuss.

Subscription Levels
We are proposing to keep subscription levels in 2024 at the same level as for 2023 i.e £60 for individuals, and £120 for families.
We believe that this is affordable and represents very good value for money, especially given the extended swimming season.

We look forward to seeing you at the AGM.  

Many thanks,
(Sent on behalf of)
David Roe. Chairman 

September

Latest update: 
The Committee have agreed to delay the formal closure of the pool by a further two days (16th and 17th Oct) to allow Shere and Clandon Schools to have two additional swimming sessions on those days. 

The following email was sent out to members on Friday 22nd September:
Members are still enjoying swimming in the pool with a planned closing date for the season of 15th October. Swimming was particularly enjoyable in the early September sunshine and lessons for Year 2 children from Shere and Clandon schools have restarted.

Our apologies for the recent fluctuations in water temperature at the pool when the weather changes noticeably.  The Air Source Heat Pump is delivering savings as well as reducing our CO2 emissions. However for cost effectiveness we only use it when the surrounding air temperature is warm enough.  We went through several thermostats to control the boiler, which for various reasons didn’t work as the installer had hoped. We are now confident that we are finally getting to grips with this, and we will continue to monitor and adjust as necessary.

The SSPC AGM, to which all members are invited to attend, will be on Monday 13th November at 8pm in the Tanyard Hall, Gomshall.

We are looking for a new Chair as David Roe will be standing down after six years of excellent leadership of the SSPC Committee. We envisage that the Chair's workload will now, for the future, be significantly reduced, following successful completion of the major upgrade programme for the pool, plant room and heating systems and rebuilding of the changing rooms. 

We are also seeking to recruit a new Membership Secretary following many years of sterling service by David Pryor. This role should also be easier as we are planning to implement a new automated system for membership applications.

 If you feel that you could help with either role or are interested in supporting the club in other ways, please do get in touch (secretary[at]sherepool.org.uk).

Sent on behalf of the Trustees of Shere Swimming Pool Club 

July

The following email was sent out to members on Friday 14th July:

We are hoping you are all enjoying using the pool this year, especially in the hot weather. This note is just to update you on various matters and provide a few important reminders. 

• The air source heat pump together with the new, more efficient, gas boiler (partially funded by your generous donations last year - for which thanks again) are now in use. We have had a few teething problems with thermostats not working properly to control the water temperature effectively (for which apologies).  We are working actively to resolve these.  The new heating systems should reduce our carbon footprint significantly and help manage the much higher gas and electricity running costs we are now facing.
• We are delighted that the local schools are now using the pool for the first time in recent years. Children in year 2 from Shere and Clandon schools are having swimming lessons on Monday and Tuesday afternoons, and this is helping them to develop an important life skill, coupled to having great fun in the water.
• Membership is again fully subscribed this year with no room unfortunately to allow any new ‘remote’ members to join.  Local residents are again reminded to get their applications in well before the end of March if they wish to ensure that there are enough spaces available for them to join.  Apologies for any delays in responding to applications, as there have been an unprecedented number of applications for our Membership Secretary to deal with this year.
• In view of the very high demand for lane booking slots, especially in the hot weather, members are asked to try to avoid having to cancel their booking, but where this is still necessary, to cancel with as much notice as possible, to allow others to book the vacated slots.  It is worth looking first thing in the morning to see if any slots have become vacant.  There seem to have been far too many ‘no shows’ so far this season,  which is irresponsible and disrespectful to other members – use of the booking system may be suspended where this occurs.  
• Many thanks to members who have been paying for their guests, using cash, guest tickets, bank transfers or the QR code in the signing-in room. This revenue is important to covering the costs of running the pool.
• A reminder about supervision ratios for children. The pool does not have a lifeguard and these are important to maintain health and safety and an insurance condition. Ratios required are:
  - Children under 8 years - a maximum of 3 children to 1 adult  (the adult must accompany the children in the water)
  - Children over 8 years and under 16 years - a maximum of 6 children to 1 adult (the adult must remain within the pool compound and be able to see the children in their care at all times).
  - Children under 16 who cannot swim one width must be accompanied in the water by a known adult.
  - All children 2 years and under and those not fully potty trained must wear a proper swim nappy.
  - Babies under the age of 6 months are not allowed in the water as the pool water chemicals may affect sensitive skin.

April

Friday 21st April

The pool was only effectively handed over to our plant room team today, Friday 21st April, following issues with heating and chemical dosing earlier in the week.  
We have decided that rather than open too soon and then find we need to close again at short notice, it is better to delay the reopening.  This will allow the plant room team a few more days to become familiar with the new equipment.
When we do reopen, we have decided that the first couple of days will be “open swimming” (with no booking ).   This will allow us to open as soon as the team are happy with the ways things are running, whilst giving members enough notice to make a booking.

Earlier in April:
The winter cover has been removed revealing green algae which needs to be cleared before the pool reopens.  These photos showing some of this work being carried out by our volunteers:

The winter cover after removal and before folding for storage:

Further work including commissioning the new gas boiler, connecting in the Air-Source Heat Pump and servicing the plant room equipment, together with training the team on the new equipment, is due to take place during the week after Easter.  Water quality tests will also need to be carried out before we can reopen.

March

The following item was submitted for publication in the Shere Parish Magazine:

• Re-opening for 2023 Season

• During March some work will be ongoing to upgrade the pool heating systems to enhance efficiency.
• We plan to re-open on Saturday 15^th April, but if there is any change to this a message will be posted on the website and at the swimming pool.
• The season will run from 15^th April until October.
• As last year there will be an opportunity for members to book lanes at some times of the day and at other times, free swimming will be available ( subject to the maximum pool safe occupancy)

• Membership Application Reminder

• Membership applications for local residents have been available since January . If you wish to join/rejoin please submit your application ASAP as we are usually over-subscribed.
• Application forms are available on the website (Membership Applications 2023 - Shere Swimming Pool Club (sherepool.org.uk)) and in the Co-op  in Shere.

On behalf of David Roe, Chair of Trustees

NEWS ARCHIVE - 2022

NEWS ARCHIVE - 2021

NEWS ARCHIVE - 2020

NEWS ARCHIVE - 2019

NEWS ARCHIVE - 2018

NEWS ARCHIVE - 2017