London

As London experienced the hottest July on record last week there was really only one place in the city to be – at an outdoor swimming pool. At Parliament Hill Lido, last Thursday, children splashed and girls in bikinis sunbathed to the strains of a poolside samba band that had been brought in especially for the annual Golden Goggles awards, organised by the London Pools Campaign. This year the focus of the awards was outdoor swimming, with over 100 swimming detectives testing outdoor pools and lidos to evaluate water quality and facilities.

So where is the best place to swim outdoors? The answer, unsurprisingly, was Tooting Bec lido, a stunning 100-metre pool that is celebrating its centenary this year. Other winners included The Serpentine Lido, which was commended for its beautiful setting; Parliament Hill received a special mention for its new silver lining, which helps retain heat; and Charlton Lido was commended for the dedication of its volunteers who have kept it open despite funding difficulties (see below). Feature continues

London has lost 58 lidos since the lido-building heydays of the 1930s, and has just 12 lidos and ponds left – for a population of 8 million. But the tide could be turning. Tooting Bec recently received a grant for improvements of £500,000 from Wandsworth Council, London Fields Lido will finally open in October, and in June, Uxbridge Lido was given a Heritage Lottery cash injection of £999,500 to bring it back to life.

‘I’m delighted that Heritage lottery money has been put into lidos. However, I’m worried that this may prevent money coming from sports funding, which should be primary. Lidos are a sports facility rather than historical monuments,’ said Janet Smith, author of ‘Liquid Assets’, which traces the history of Britain’s lidos.

‘We have been reluctant to fund lidos because they can only be used during the summer months. However if there were plans to make them heated then we would be happy to consider them in the funding process,’ said Matthew Delaney, director of Sport England. But there needs to be more than lukewarm interest to secure their long-term future – and wouldn’t it be a wonderful Olympic legacy if every borough could once more boast its own lido?

‘There are optimistic signs,’ says Smith, ‘but there’s a long way to go.’

For the Golden Goggles award winners see: www.londonpoolscampaign.com

Support our campaign and tell us the state of your local pool: pools@timeout.com