​

WE ARE PROGRESSING ONTO PHASE 2 OF REOPENING ON THE 7TH SEPTEMBER!

 

 

To all our valued & loyal customers at Waterside Pool,
 
Following the guidance issued from the government on Thursday 9th July we were able to reopen on the 3rd August 2020. It’s been fantastic to see our much loved facility being enjoyed again by our wonderful Waterside community and visitors alike.

We would like to thank everyone for their understanding and patience with the safety procedures that have been implemented. It has been extremely successful in providing a safe, clean environment for all. After the success of Phase 1 we feel it is safe to progress onto Stage 2 of our reopening plan, getting us one step closer to our pre-lockdown timetable. 
 
As we progress to Phase 2, you may notice some of the additional safety measures we have put in place when you visit Waterside. With regular disinfection of surfaces and dedicated Covid Officers on site to ensure we are closely following government guidance and best practises. 
 

 

WHAT WILL BE AVAILABLE?

Swimming Lessons
The main progression of Phase 2 is the reintroduction of our Swim School. This will include: Group Lessons, School Lessons,  Private Swimming Lessons, as well our RLSS Rookie Life Guard Classes. 

Additional Lane Swims
We will also be introducing four additional lane swim sessions, which will be pre booked sessions only.

Water Workout 
We will also be re-introducing our water workout classes. The number of classes and class numbers have been reduced dramatically to ensure they are safe and within industry guidance, therefore the classes will have limited availability. We therefore ask that you only book one class per week and if you can, attend a lane swim session instead.  

Large Inflatable
The large inflatable will be returning!  There will be one session available to book every Saturday 17:30 - 18:30. The session will operate in the same format we have previously used. The only change to note is we will only be allowing the parents/guardians who make the booking into the centre to spectate. 

How to book?
Bookings can be made via the telephone (01983 563656) and our usual booking terms apply. 
 

Changing 

We continue to encourage ‘beach changing’ on poolside for those who feel comfortable to do so. You can still access our changing rooms however, these facilities are limited to five people per changing room to adhere to social distancing measures. To aid with this there is signage to indicate the facilities which are open for use inside the changing room.
 

* Beach changing is changing at designated locations on the poolside, with a towel or poncho towel. There will be a box in front of your designated location to store your belongings whilst you swim. 

​

 

OUR SWIM SCHOOL

​

Our swimming lessons are coming back!!

In the current climate we find ourselves in, many parents are naturally concerned about the idea of starting or returning to swimming lessons. Here at Waterside Community Trust, we have been working tirelessly to adapt and improve our facilities to ensure that our customers are as safe as possible and that our swimmers can get back into the pool. 

It is proven that chlorine removes or inactivates the virus that causes COVID-19. Therefore swimming lessons is by far the safest activity for your child to return to, especially with the additional safety measures we have put in place around the pool hall and changing facilities, with regular disinfection of surfaces and dedicated Covid Officers on site to ensure we are closely following government guidance and best practises. 

The week commencing the 7th of September our swimming lessons will be restarting and we have outlined these changes below and how they will effect you.
 
The sessions will be staffed by Teachers, Coaches, Covid Liaison Officers and Leisure Centre Staff.
 
Each Teacher/ Coach will be allocated a designated clearly marked area and must remain in it if it is possible to do so. 
 
The Covid Liaison Officers will be there to greet swimmers and offer support during the lessons. They are also there to ensure safe social distancing and safety protocols such as hand sanitising are adhered to. 

Our group lessons will be at the same times and days that they were in March, therefore your swimming lessons will still be at the same time and day. If this isn't suitable anymore, please call us on 01983 563656 or email enquiries@watersidepool.co.uk.

We ask parents to be empathetic to the fact their swimmer/s haven't been in lessons since March and therefore may take some weeks to get back to the standard they were. This could be overwhelming for some, so please give your swimmer/s lots of praise and positive encouragement before and after their lessons, as our teaching team will be doing the same. 
 

 

Your New Journey 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Arrival & Entry to the Pool

 

• Swimmers must arrive punctually. If you arrive late for your lesson you may be turned away. 

• Swimmers will be dropped off at Reception where they will be met by a Covid Liaison Officer who will heat scan them and direct them to our poolside changing area. 

• Please ensure on arrival the swimmer is wearing their costume underneath outer garments that are easy to slip off. Please also wear appropriate footwear for easy removal on entry.

• The swimmers will be allocated an area on poolside to ‘Beach Change’ and place their items in the box provided.

• Those with swimmers in Stages 0 - 3 will be allowed to come into the Centre with one adult, who must wear a mask whilst on site. The only exception are those parents getting in the water with their swimmer in Stage 0. 

 

During The Lesson

 

• Your swimmer will have a designated waiting zone for their lesson where they will enter the water under the instruction of the Teacher/ Coach.

• Swimmers must ensure they use the equipment provided to them by the teachers at the start of the lesson. For Stages 6+ we expect swimmers to bring their own clearly marked equipment and drinks bottles

• Please ensure that you have a full drinks bottle (or bottles) as refilling will not be possible.

• Please try to use the toilet before your lesson to avoid having to use the facilities at the Centre where possible.

• Lessons will last for 25 minutes (30) 40 minutes (45) 55 minutes (60) to allow for 5 minutes change over time between lessons and minimise numbers on poolside.

 

After The Lesson

 

• Swimmers will be directed to leave from the side of the pool to help with social distancing 

• After exiting the pool swimmers (Stage 4+) return directly to their ‘beach change’ place on poolside. Stages 1 - 3 return directly to their parent on poolside. 

• Swimmers and their adult leave via designated exit at the deep end promptly. 

• Swimmers being collected must wait to leave the Centre until they see their adult through the window. Covid officers will be available for support. 

• Leisure Attendants will use the sanitiser guns at the end of each lessons to clean all touch points. 

• Swimming Teachers/ Coaches will disinfect equipment. 

Private Swimming Lessons

Private swimming lessons will follow the same format and safety procedures as group swimming lessons, with the below alterations:
 

• Swimming Teachers will greet the adult and their swimmer at Reception with the swimmer already changed and ready for their lesson. After the lesson the teacher will then greet their adult at the deep end exit for collection.

• Private lessons will be allocated their own section of the pool, totally separate from the group lessons. 

Rookie Lifeguard Classes 

Our rookie lifeguard classes will follow the same format as group lessons (Stage 4+), with alterations to the delivery of the sessions to ensure the safety of the lifesavers in line with Royal Life Saving Society guidance. 

 

FAQ’s 

 

When are you re-opening your Swim School?

We are reopening our Swim School on Monday 7th September 2020.  Bookings will open on Tuesday 1st September at 08:30am. 
 

Are you allowed to open Swim School under current guidance?

The Government announced on 10th July that Leisure Centres are able to open on Saturday 25th July, and we are following government and industry guidance.

We will continue to follow government and industry guidance on a regular basis and will update our policies and risk assessments accordingly. Should the guidance change over the course, whereby we are not able to operate, we will update all our parents as soon as possible and automatically freeze the lesson payments until such time it is safe to continue.
 

What are you doing when you re-open to ensure everyone’s safety?

We have introduced the following measures to keep everyone safe during their swimming lessons:

• Clearly visible social distancing signage

• Gloves and face masks available for our teams

• Hand sanitiser stations across the site

• One way systems to control flow of customers

• Reduced spectators 

• Enhanced cleaning routines and sanitiser guns

• COVID-19 training for all our staff

• Anyone exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms will not be allowed on site and those falling ill on site will be isolated immediately

What happens to my payment if my child cannot attend due to COVID-19?

If your child is unable to attend due to COVID-19 relating factors, please email our swimming lessons coordinator (enquiries@watersidepool.co.uk) where we will look to credit any missed lessons of your booking up to 2 weeks (2 Lessons).  

What happens to my payment if I have booked but now you have to close?

We will be in touch to look at moving your booking to a later date when we are operating again. 
 

What happens if I have credit for missed lessons from the last Swim Term?

A credit will be applied to your account for any missed lessons due to our closure and we will adjust future payments.  

What do parents need to do? 

• Do not come to your lesson if your child(ren) or anyone in your household shows symptoms of COVID-19 (high temperature, new continuous cough, loss or change of smell or taste).

• Arrive ‘pool ready’ with your child’s swimwear already on underneath their clothes. Please assist your child with hat and goggles if required.

• Follow our directional signage and observe social distancing rules.

• Shower at home before you arrive and when you get home.

• One parent to attend only please (Stages 0 - 3). 

• Make yourself familiar with drop off and collection points (Stages 4+) as parents won't be allowed past reception.

What do I do if I feel unwell? 

If you are unwell, symptomatic or have tested positive for coronavirus, do not attend the Centre and follow government regulation on isolating for the minimum period of time, and only return after this minimum period if you are feeling well again.

IMPORTANT COVID-19

 

If your child(ren) or anyone in your household begin to show any of the following symptoms, please do not attend your swimming lesson.

• a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back

• a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours

• a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste.

 

The safety of our customers and staff is our number one priority, and while things will look a little different, Waterside Pool will continue to provide a beautiful and unique centre for the community to enjoy. We will be incorporating extensive cleaning protocols and social distancing practices throughout our Centre.

Key measures include:
 

• Limiting the number of members in certain areas of the Centre.

• Hand sanitiser stations will be located in reception foyer and will be mandatory before entering the Centre.     

• Using a viricidal disinfectant cleaning solution, proven to kill enveloped virus’s within 60 seconds.

• Enhanced cleaning schedules to maintain high level of hygiene, particularly across high contact points in the Centre. 

• Temporary timetable implemented on re-opening with lane swimming and family sessions only to slowly and safely enable a return to our normal timetable of activities. 

• We won’t be able to loan out any equipment. 

• We will have reception staff ready to greet customers, ask them to sanitise their hands and help them to become familiar with the new measures.

• We will be encouraging ‘beach change’ on poolside for those who are comfortable to do so. 

• Staff will be checked with a thermal imaging camera before the start of their shifts. 

• We kindly ask that you observe a 2 metre social distancing gap between you and others as you move around the Centre​

 

We appreciate the last five months have been incredibly hard for everyone, as we move forward in this new approach we ask for your patience with staff and other customers in order to keep all at the Centre safe. If you are concerned or unhappy with anything during your visit please talk to a member of staff. 
 

 

We're adapting our bright, spacious poolside to accommodate ‘beach change’ stations and we will initially be offering lane swimming and family sessions with a limited capacity to ensure everyone's safety. The sessions will have to be booked in advance and will be available to both members and casual customers. Each session will be allocated a 15 minute gap between sessions to prevent any gathering or waiting around in groups. The leisure attendants will be cleaning all touch points before and after each session.

Bookings can be made over the phone (01983 563656), alternatively you can book at reception. Our usual booking terms apply. 

Lane Swimming

Members - Your booking will be FREE, you will just need your membership card to hand to book your place. 

Non Members - At the time of booking we will require your name and contact number, as well as payment of £5.00 which is non refundable. (We are asking for your name and number for NHS test and trace or in the event we have to close the centre and thus cancel your session)

Family Sessions

For these sessions there will be a maximum of 5 people per booking. At the time of booking we will require your names and contact numbers, as well as payment of £15.00 which is non refundable.

There will be no spectators allowed in the Centre. 

​​

Water workout

Bookable sessions only. Tuesdays and Thursdays 10.30 - 11.00am & 11.15 - 11.45am. You can only book one session per week to enable all persons to attend at least one class.

​

 

​

How can I book the pool inflatable session?

Either call us on 01983 563656 or speak to reception, who will be able to explain the changes, take your details and £20 payment to secure your booking. 

​

​

Underwater Hockey

The underwater hockey club will be returning to their usual Sunday sessions with their own return to pool plan that has been approved by us as the operator. For more information please contact the club directly on phil.hagen@hotmail.co.uk. Please see the video below about returning to the club. 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

What won’t initially be available? 

​​

​

Changing

​

We will be encouraging ‘beach changing’ on poolside for those who feel comfortable to do so, otherwise there will still be access to our changing cubicles, sinks and toilets. The access will just be limited to 5 per changing room, with signs to indicate the facilities which are open for use.

​

* Beach changing is changing at designated locations on the poolside, with a towel or poncho towel. There will be a box in front of your designated location to store your belongings whilst you swim. We will be selling poncho towels when the centre to re-opens and will be encouraging beach changing. 

 

We will have hooded towels in stock for £40 each for beach changing on poolside. All profits will help to support the Centre. 

​

HERE IS OUR WELCOME BACK VIDEO TO HELP VISUALISE YOUR VISIT TO THE CENTRE.

​

How can I book my lane swimming session? 
 
Either call us on 01983 563656 or speak to reception, who will ask for your membership details or for a non member, take a name, phone number and payment to secure your booking. 
 
Why do I have to book?
 
The sessions will have limited numbers, so this is to avoid any disappointment. This is also an industry requirement that users book for sessions, due to the current situation. 

How can I book for the family session? 

Either call us on 01983 563656 or speak to reception, who will ask for a name and phone number as well as payment to secure your booking. 

Is it safe for the Centre to be open? 

​

We are following industry guidance as well as that of Government in reopening our Centre and have put additional measures in place to ensure that our customers and staff are safe within the Centre. This includes hand sanitising at reception, booking only sessions to allow 15 minutes cleaning either side of each session, no lending of equipment, temperature checking of our staff and available to help ensure social distancing can be practiced. Additionally we have the luxury of the retractable roof, which enabled us to provide a vastly safer swimming experience than indoor facilities. By following the guidelines, we are ensuring that everyone is safe within our Centre. 

I'm not ready to come back to swimming, can I keep it frozen? 

We appreciate that some members may not feel ready to come back to swimming, however in the circumstances we cannot offer a further period of suspension. 

I only use my membership card for aqua fit, can I keep it frozen? 
 
The membership card is not just an aqua fit card, it entitles members access to various sessions. We appreciate some customers may only use their membership for aqua fit, however in the circumstances we cannot offer a further period of suspension. 
 
Can I bring my child swimming? 
 
We have had to restrict access initially to ensure a safe reopening which has meant we aren’t able to offer casual swimming or fun sessions. Alternatively we are offering bookable family sessions, which allows families to book a space for up to 5 people per booking. This will be at a cost of £15.00. 
If you child/ children are competent swimmers, they can also swim in the bookable lane swimming sessions as long as they are over 8 years of age. This will be at a cost of £5.00 initially. 

I require a carer/ helper to attend the Centre with me - is this allowed?
 

We want all our customers to get back into swimming and feel safe at the Centre. As such, all customers must continue to follow the advice of national health services and Government. This includes ‘shielding’ for any vulnerable people, such as those with breathing difficulties, or other medical conditions which can mean that they are at higher risk as a result of COVID-19. Should you be safe to attend the Centre and other public places, then we look forward to welcoming you back. 

Why aren’t you opening back to a full timetable? 
 
Following industry guidance developed by Swim England in consultation with the Government we have risk assessed all aspects of the Centre and its activities/ sessions. In doing so, we believe that a slow reopening plan will best ensure the safety of all our staff and customers. Due to the design of Waterside Pool with its retractable roof, it is a very safe facility with plenty of air circulation, therefore as social distancing requirements change we can reintroduce activities/ sessions and increase the capacity of our pool and changing facilities.  

What do I do if I feel unwell? 

​

If you are unwell, symptomatic or have tested positive for coronavirus, do not attend the Centre and follow government regulation on isolating for the minimum period of time, and only return after this minimum period if you are feeling well again.

 

 

Many swimming pools across the country have had to close permanently as a result of the pandemic, which is incredibly saddening. Fortunately we aren’t one of them, however we are in desperate need of your support to ensure the future of the centre. We would be grateful for anybody who can donate or fundraise for the pool, because we need your support now more than ever.

​

We have outlined many ways in which you can support us on our new support us page:

https://www.watersidepool.co.uk/support-us 

For those of you who do have social media, please follow us @RydeWaterside for the latest news and updates. 
 

We hope you are all staying well and we look forward to seeing you all soon. 

The Waterside Team

 

Waterside Pool Esplanade Ryde Isle of Wight PO33 1JA
01983 563656
enquiries@watersidepool.co.uk
www.watersidepool.co.uk

Registered Charity 1174631