Scorching in Haringey and still no swimming
- By Brian Leveson
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- 12 Jul, 2022
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Staff absences this morning have led to another morning of no swimming at Tottenham Green
Day 2 of a heat wave, Day 2 of no morning swim
For the second day running there has been no morning swimming at Tottenham Green pools.
It did not bode well when I was unable to get through the gate to go for the swim and a disgruntled fellow customer explained it was because of the issues yesterday and we had not 'logged in' yesterday. We entered via an open disabled access gate at the exit and I asked my fellow customer how they felt: 'There are no words' said my harassed companion trying to squeeze in exercise before another hot and scorching day and work.
They I heard the groans of my fellow swimmers: 'Why not?' '7 o'clock?' 'Are you having a laugh?'
I asked the member of staff why not: staff absence.
I left and got told of for walking on the freshly mopped floor by the exits.
Outside, as I was getting on my bike, there was more disgruntlement from my fellow morning swimmers:'Not again'. ''Quite ridiculous'. 'What can we say'.
It did not bode well when I was unable to get through the gate to go for the swim and a disgruntled fellow customer explained it was because of the issues yesterday and we had not 'logged in' yesterday. We entered via an open disabled access gate at the exit and I asked my fellow customer how they felt: 'There are no words' said my harassed companion trying to squeeze in exercise before another hot and scorching day and work.
They I heard the groans of my fellow swimmers: 'Why not?' '7 o'clock?' 'Are you having a laugh?'
I asked the member of staff why not: staff absence.
I left and got told of for walking on the freshly mopped floor by the exits.
Outside, as I was getting on my bike, there was more disgruntlement from my fellow morning swimmers:'Not again'. ''Quite ridiculous'. 'What can we say'.
2,000 avoidable death every year due to heatwaves
As I sit at my breakfast table, tap tap tapping out this tale, I am listening to breakfast telly and the annual death-toll due to heatwaves: the elderly, children and people with underlying health conditions.
Then I am listening to the solutions, keeping cool, councils having places open where people can go to cool off.
Then I am listening to the solutions, keeping cool, councils having places open where people can go to cool off.
Coproduction and having services designed to meet need was the political pledge made to all of us in May 2021...
Ultimately, Tottenham Green Pool is ours, owned by us and the responsibility for the running lies with our elected representatives: our councillors.
Now, how's about a swimming pool that meets the needs of the local population, functions well and is open reliably every morning or even 24 hours a day to allow local people, people with multiple jobs, caring roles and notoriously poor health outcomes the opportunity to exercise whenever they can and need to?
Now, how's about a swimming pool that meets the needs of the local population, functions well and is open reliably every morning or even 24 hours a day to allow local people, people with multiple jobs, caring roles and notoriously poor health outcomes the opportunity to exercise whenever they can and need to?
Huge sympathy for the the staff
I have huge sympathy for the staff and manager, as I understand that they are unwell, ad in the middle of an ongoing pandemic, whose not hugely sympathetic for that.
Is there enough support and funding for more than a skeletal staff
When centres run on minimal staffing, there will be dire consequences for the health of the population when there is only one absence and I wonder what can be done to address that?
- A flexible workforce that can do more than one role - reception, cleaning and life guarding?
- More staff on duty and more funding for the centre?
- Un-life guarded swimming for Adult only swimmers? As happens at David Lloyd and the mixed pond on Hampstead Heath to give but 2 examples that spring to mind.
Its a heatwave, and some of us can only swim, and must swim
The heatwave and health alerts makes forms of exercise other than swimming challenging and potentially a health threat to me. Swimming has the benefits of cooling the body as well as enabling exercise. On top of which it puts no weight on my joints.
Nearly 1k a day since January
I've swum 1 kilometre a day nearly every day since January. The health benefits are amazing for me. I am stronger, fitter and my knees are sore, my blood sugar is better controlled, my ankle swelling is almost gone.
Shopping around for membership
I love Tottenham Green Pool, its about 2 minutes on my bike from my house and I have a lovely time when I am there with my 'lane mates'.
But the unreliability of the service has had me looking elsewhere.
I've been swimming at the Better West Reservoir at Manor House, £40 a month and use of 145 swimming places, pools and lido over the whole of the UK.
2 swim memberships might seem over indulgent, but for me cheaper than taking medicines every day and having declining health as I live with many very serious health conditions.
But the unreliability of the service has had me looking elsewhere.
I've been swimming at the Better West Reservoir at Manor House, £40 a month and use of 145 swimming places, pools and lido over the whole of the UK.
2 swim memberships might seem over indulgent, but for me cheaper than taking medicines every day and having declining health as I live with many very serious health conditions.
Serious lifetime health conditions and disability are the motivation for this blog
The serious lifelong health conditions of all the members of my family, the severe disability of my son and the issues we have addressing those issues through barriers to access to services are the motivation of all of my blogs.
The purpose is not self advancement. I am paid no money. This is not a business. I get no funding. There is no reward.
The purpose is not self advancement. I am paid no money. This is not a business. I get no funding. There is no reward.
If you thought SEND was bad - the NHS is seemingly prepared to throw away money to private companies
About 3 or 4 times a year we get the euphemistic message 'Parents please note we have put a letter in your child's bag' - its a world away from how a child's death was handled in my child's first school
More of a trial by ordeal than a well organised clearly set out administrative process for moving the care of vulnerable young adults from Haringey's Children's Services to Adult Services. We have been failed at every stage of the process.
Never EVER get on the bus without a camera running if you need the priority wheelchair space
The reality of using a London Bus in the teeming rain on a Sunday afternoon is no joke when the parents of a paraplegic person in a wheelchair clash with the self-entitled buggy-pushing parents of toddlers.
At 3pm today I received some barefaced lies from Haringey Council Adult Social Care in response to a photograph I published online yesterday and the media interest it generated
Haringey SEND Transport are insisting that a 17 year old minibus with no air conditioning is a suitable vehicle to transport my paraplegic son in this heatwave. The appalling conditions inside the minibus inside the bus is something they knew about last summer, yet they have to date done nothing whatsoever provide a suitable minibus this year nor appropriately mitigate the temperatures inside the minibus.The conditions inside the minibus are so bad that they triggered multiple seizures during the heatwave as my son has epilepsy, which they SEND transport department know about and they also know that they are triggered by heat.It is not just son who is impacted: last year we know of one child who died on Haringey SEND Transport in the summer heatwave and another who had seizures.
I am simply asking a question - are we all absolutely certain that the road closure / travel restrictions (commonly know as LTNs) placed on some of the most severely disabled people who are wholly reliant on cars are absolutely necessary
Haringey's road closures exemptions policy for disabled people is not fit for purpose, unduly burdensome and intrusive - it's time to stand up against the pro-LTN lycra-clad cycling bullies
Is the argument for and against exemptions for disabled people in Low Traffic Neighbourhoods really a case of GOOD versus EVIL?
