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BREAKING NEWS! Councillors vote unanimously to reopen the lido this summer. Find out more & get involved »

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🥳 Amazing news – Stroud Lido is set to open this s $🥳 Amazing news - Stroud Lido is set to open this summer after unanimous vote to fund outstanding repairs 🤩 Last night, councillors voted an extra £276k of works that should see Stroud’s treasured Lido open this August. 🎉 The extra money, which comes from previous years underspend on the Lido, should also set the lido on track for opening in 2027 and beyond. 😱 At an earlier vote in March, councillors had voted to close the outdoor pool. 💪 But thanks to a massive community outcry, a 4000 signature petition, hundred of emails to councillors, flash mobs 🦞, a shop window competition, and incredible support from local celebrities including @maryportasofficial @edibow @therealdalevince and @tweedyclown … 👷‍♂️They’ve listened - to the community, & to our engineering experts, who had set out a plan for opening for a fraction of the original proposed cost of £5 million. 💙💦 Now we just need to make sure they keep listening, they keep working with us, so we can set this on a sustainable footing. 💦So that next year, and every year, the people of Stroud District get to hang out and have fun in the pool, get to swim lanes and get to enjoy the gem that is the Stroud Lido. 💦☀️We are delighted at last night’s vote. We want to say a *massive* thank you 🙏 to everyone who has kept showing up, has spoken up, spread the word, and kept the faith. We couldn’t have done it without you - and this has been a huge team effort. From the fabulous badges done by @sheermeg and the petition by @fourteenlifestyle that started it all off, the sterling Facebook work of @marksweeting, the inspired “please refrain from divebombing our lido” artwork and videography from @adam.horovitz the amazing work of @ndavis060 in pulling people together, the dedication and heartfelt expertise of @iankennyroberts , the extraordinary commitment of our engineer @jfiddes1, the political nous of various amazing people who I think aren’t on Instagram, and not least, the inspired lobster stylings of @naomisaid_ and all the support shown by local businesses, too many to mention, and @stroudtowncouncil … and ok yes me @carolinejmolloy and most of all… YOU!!!$

💦 BIG NEWS! (& we still need your help for one las

💦 BIG NEWS! (& we still need your help for one last push 🫧🦞🎶🎥)

💦 Stroud District Council has put forward its own plan to open Stroud’s Lido / outdoor pool this year.

💦 The council’s own report (published this week) recognises the health, wellbeing and social value of Stratford Park Lido and says everything campaigners have been saying for months. It says getting the pool open this year can be done, without spending unaffordable sums like £5m (😳) and that it’s worth it for this year and next, and going forwards too.

☀️ The construction team is primed and ready to go. The council has already got the money it needs (from previous underspends).

🙏 All that’s needed now, is for the councillors to vote for this proposal (3 June - tv cameras there 6-6.20pm, some fun will be had, then meeting 7pm).

💦 To say that yes, the people of Stroud District are worth an additional £276,000 required to enable works to reopen the lido this summer and next and to help it stay open in the future.

💙 The community has fought incredibly hard to get this far, and we are now *so close*.

🎥 The ITV cameras will be there (at Ebley Mill) on 3rd June and we’re asking all our supporters to turn up - one last time - to show how much we cherish our precious outdoor pool and our access to safe, affordable outdoor swimming and relaxation this summer.

We want the council to vote for this plan. The extra budget requested - which they already have - is the equivalent of just a couple of quid from everyone in the district, for a treasured resource that’s been neglected for years despite being is so precious and valuable to so many people’s health and wellbeing.

We also see that the council’s proposed works mean a reopening date for the Lido of mid-August, so we’re also urging them to commit to
💦Keep it open throughout September
💦Open it in the mornings throughout August
💦Look at our expert proposal that could bring the opening forward three weeks, to July (simply by holding off non-essential fibre-glass coating work til after the season).

💦 Let’s keep Stroud swimming and splashing, safely! 💦

#savestroudlido #lidoswim #swimsafely #saveoursummer #peoplepower

🥵 Where is a hot lobster to swim? 🦞💦⛱️☀️🏊‍♀️ 😳 St

🥵 Where is a hot lobster to swim? 🦞💦⛱️☀️🏊‍♀️

😳 Stroud District council has said it needs another meeting to talk about the Lido - on Wednesday 3rd June, 7pm at Ebley Mill.

🦞 Lobster will be there - and would love to see you all…

👷‍♀️ But in the meantime - can the council just get on with starting the work at Stroud Lido that it’s got the money to do?

😢 Otherwise, as we warned them back in April, they won’t get the pool open in time for the summer holidays.

😒 They quietly shelved the work they could have done over winter, without telling the public that was what was going on.

⛱️ Now people in the Stroud area have nowhere safe to swim outdoors, during this half term heatwave, when Stroud’s Lido would normally be open.

💦Even if you could get to Cheltenham, Wootton or Ciren, their pools are booked solid.

💰If Stroud’s outdoor pool were open this week, it could be making many thousands of pounds.

🗣️ Whilst the politicians keep talking…

✊We need action!

#savestroudlido #saveoursummer

So where are we? 💦The outdoor pool normally opens

So where are we?

💦The outdoor pool normally opens this week

💦last year the council decided not to do the usual winter maintenance to get it open this year - despite hvaing plenty of money set aside for the lido

💦it didn’t discuss these decisions with the public or even with most of its own councillors

💦when we found out, we formed SOLS, and within weeks we’d arranged site visits and had given the council an expert, affordable, engineer-led plan for summer opening…which they said they were very impressed by…

💦since the bombshell news of planned closure in March, there have been LOTS of meetings - and lots of nodding - but but not enough information has been shared in those meetings about what is actually underway

💦now there’s another meeting on 3rd June which they’re saying is crunch

All we want to know is:

💦will they get on with the work they’ve *got the money for* in the meantime, to be able to get the pool for the summer holidays?

💦the works needed are quite simple - is there the political will to get them done?

Not much essential maintenance happening seems to

Not much essential maintenance happening seems to be happening today…

Does this mean *something* is finally happening at

Does this mean *something* is finally happening at Stroud Lido to prepare for summer opening?

Maybe… but…

Not much happening inside this week. What are they waiting for?

Update & stop press 👏The good news is: 💦 The cou

Update & stop press

👏The good news is:

💦 The council has publicly committed to *try* & get the lidoopen by 20 July, & has set aside £200k of revenue & re-iterated there’s also £900k of capital budget. Which should be plenty, according to our experts.

💦 They’ve been talking regularly to SOLS technical experts about the technical details of making the summer opening happen.

💦 They have identified some contractors they want to do essential maintenance & have been talking to them & contracted them to do some planning work, to start with.

💦 Something is definitely happening - there’s been a fair bit of activity on site - though it’s been surveying / planning work, not yet actual construction / maintenance work (bar some preliminary shot blasting to assess scope).

💦 The council seems to be trying to find solutions and workrounds for the issues they have raised around health & safety, such as putting fences on low walls that are “fall hazards”.

💦 They have invited us (SOLS) to their meetings to talk about the medium / long term.

💦 They have published two updates & the leadership has been quite responsive to our emails & messages.

🚨We still have some concerns:

💦 Their update suggests that if it does open, the pool will close after 6 weeks ie by 31 August, rather than staying open in September which would be sensible.

💦 We are not sure where they are at with recruiting lifeguards, which we have offered to help with.

💦 The council has not yet published any of its target dates for critical milestones to opening, so it’s hard to assess their progress on essential works and the critical path to opening.

💦 They have not as yet actually engaged a contractor to do main works (as opposed to planning). This seems to be in the pipeline, but…

💦 They still seem unclear about their right to use “urgency” provisions to procure the works without too much red tape.

💦 They also seem a bit unclear about their right to use not just a £200k revenue budget (which is all the updates talk about), but also some of the capital budget they’ve set aside (for works that will last several seasons or longer).

Read on in comments - including some stop press

🗞️Nice article in this week’s Stroud News and Jour

🗞️Nice article in this week’s Stroud News and Journal about the sustainable, spring-fed Lido

💦Whilst we await updates from @strouddistrictcouncil as to progress on getting essential summer re-opening works commissioned and underway, do keep making your voices heard! Letters to councillors, letters to the local papers (also @stroudtimes )- it all shows how much we care 💦

💦Outside the council chamber on Thursday… just a f

💦Outside the council chamber on Thursday… just a few of the placards (and we were v happy to see the lobsters) 🦞 Keep it up folks, the council is certainly aware that we’re paying close attention! 💦 They’ve said they’re going to try and get it open this summer and they’ve acknowledged they’ve got the money so… let’s go! #savestroudlido

😍Here’s Cllr Tom Langham unveiling the foundation

😍Here’s Cllr Tom Langham unveiling the foundation stone at the opening of Stroud’s outdoor pool, back in 1937 - the stone is still on view outside.

✊Cllr Langham was the Chair of the Council when Stroud finally - after many years of fighting for it - got its outdoor pool - and his great-grandchildren and great- great- grandchildren have been turning up outside Ebley Mill with the SOLS supporters to ask the council to #savestroudlido, and giving SOLS fantastic support, thank you @joeiselvis and crew! #savestroudlido

✊Such an honour to carry our banner yesterday in S

✊Such an honour to carry our banner yesterday in Stroud’s May Day march - a celebration of what we can achieve when we come together as ordinary people.

From better living conditions, to the outdoor pools that are foremothers and forefathers built so that we too could have nice things.

💦 And such a great reception walking around Stroud - lots of “oh yes, Lido!” and “Lido! Preach!” and similar, as people clocked our banner.

Thank you Stroud! Let’s keep pushing, it’s only thanks to the amazing community effort that there is now a chance that the outdoor pools *will* stay open!

Marching the Save Our Lido banner through Stroud o

Marching the Save Our Lido banner through Stroud on May Day, you always manage to get some excellent support - and fortunately we were filming live for Instagram

Caroline Molloy from Save Our Lido Stroud speaking

Caroline Molloy from Save Our Lido Stroud speaking about the Lido at the May Day rally in Stroud

Watch SOLS member Caroline Molloy asking public qu

Watch SOLS member Caroline Molloy asking public questions at the full council meeting at Ebley Mill on Thursday. The key question will the pool be open this summer? The council’s answer? “Hopefully”. They have promised regular updates. We need to keep a v close eye!

💦💦💦 calling all Lido lovers! This is the big one f

💦💦💦 calling all Lido lovers! This is the big one folks - full council.

🗓️Thursday 30 April, 6.30 - tomorrow

The Lido will be on the agenda - we will make sure of it!

🦞🎶And we have a few things up our sleeve - but we need your support!

💦Join us! Help us show the council how much the outdoor pool matters to us!

🗓️Thursday 30 April, 6.30 - tomorrow - you can stay as long or as short as you like (the meeting itself is from 7 onwards and the lido is likely to come up early on)
📍Ebley Mill

See you there!

And tell us below why the lido matters to you - we’d love to be tagged in on any videos or photos you take, too. #savestroudlido

Three generations of love for Stroud’s outdoor poo

Three generations of love for Stroud’s outdoor pool and three more voices added to the community-wide call to @strouddistrictcouncil to #saveoursummer #openthepoolalready #letstroudswim

“it’s part of Stroud, it’s part of Stroud’s herita

“it’s part of Stroud, it’s part of Stroud’s heritage, it’s always been there, it’s part of our lives”

💦Great segment from @bbcglos (& is that @monobrow73 I hear at the beginning?) from last night’s public meeting. Lots of voices from across Stroud and beyond talking about why it’s so vital to them and their families that the Lido stays open this summer.

Thanks to the massive public outcry that greeted their closure announcement, stroud district council are now starting to say they are trying to get the Lido open this summer and beyond, after all - we need to make sure they keep us maximally informed, so that we can keep them on track, as a community, because timescales are very tight.

#savestroudlido

There’s a chink of light for Stroud’s Lido – but w

There’s a chink of light for Stroud’s Lido - but will the district council move fast enough to protect it & open it for this summer and beyond?

Not many seats left – reserve yours now! 6pm Monda

Not many seats left - reserve yours now! 6pm Monday St Lawrence Church, Stroud https://www.eventbrite.com/e/town-meeting-the-future-of-stratford-park-lido-tickets-1985913505755

Elvis has entered the lido debate! We entreat Str

Elvis has entered the lido debate!

We entreat Stroud District Council to reopen the Lido and #saveoursummer - and we hope they’ll be joining Elvis in the water, in their swimming trunks of many colours to match his gold trunks, when they do!

#savestroudlido #savestroudsoutdoorpool #elvislives

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