The Isle of Wight’s first tidal sea pool is a step closer to becoming a reality as further grant funding has been secured to take the project forward. Swim The Wight CIC, in collaboration with the University of Southampton, has been awarded funding from the Centre for the South’s New Things Fund. The money will be used to allow a team of academics to take the results of Swim the Wight’s recent tidal pool survey further by undertaking a more detailed analysis of the data. A number of public consultation events will also be carried out and a policy document will be created to support a feasibility study report. It is proposed that a tidal pool will be created in the Yaverland area, as part of the regeneration of The Bay. Initial analysis of last year’s sea pool survey has revealed that more than 88% of the 1,200 respondents enjoy swimming in the sea, with 16% of those sea swimming at least once a week. The current barriers to sea swimming for many though are concerns about pollution (75%), safety, including risks of deep water, currents and tide (54%) and water temperature (37%). 85% of all respondents said that they would use an accessible sea pool, 11% thought they might use one – and only 4% said they wouldn’t use a sea pool at all. Sue Barker, Swim The Wight’s Sea Pool Lead, says:
“We are delighted that this project has been seen by The New Things Fund to be of real value. The momentum and support that we are gaining for a tidal sea pool is growing daily and we believe strongly that a pool in Yaverland will deliver positive benefits to our whole community”.
It is planned that the first stage of the feasibility study will be completed in the first half of 2025 and handed over to the Isle of Wight later that year. However, further funding will be needed to complete the feasibility study. Swim The Wight is seeking financial sponsorship, goods in kind and people prepared to give their time and skills to support this initiative.
Great. So some hippy minded funding has been provided for a survey. But to move forward – when REAL money will be required – then the public will have to chip in for this foo-foo nonsense. Are these people even in the real world???
I think you mean poo-poo nonsense, but tbh, I have no idea what a tidal pool is and I cba to look it up.
Like to see the data, out of 1200 respondents, how many live on the island, this is a promotional scheme from a small group of people who ahve no money of their own and wish to saddle the IOW council with a big bill.
“Initial analysis of last year’s sea pool survey has revealed that more than 88% of the 1,200 respondents enjoy swimming in the sea, with 16% of those sea swimming at least once a week”
These data sound like nonsense to me. They must have surveyed people who were actually on the beach who were mostly swimming in the sea. Less than 2% of the UK population claim to regularly swim in the sea so this could not have been a representative survey of the local population. The data were probably collected using one of those daft surveys that allow you to complete it multiple times like the council surveys. I don’t believe it.
“Less than 2% of the UK population claim to regularly swim in the sea”… “These data sound like nonsense to me”.
i looks like you answered youself there….
Likely a ‘Sprat to catch a Mackerel’ as a means to begin the ‘re-development’ of the entire area, and using a ‘sweetner’ of telling all that this is ‘something the public wanted, to then eventually close Browns, and hand in hand with their very ‘close’ developer friends from Bembridge, who will be tickled Pink, then build luxury flats all along Sandown sea front making both a fortune.
These people don’t do anything unless there is some future gain for them.
Always look every gift horse right down to its large intestine for there the future will become more apparent.
It’s a great idea. Have you seen how popular the open salt water pools are in Plymouth and Cornwall? No of course you lot haven’t! It just needs to happen now, also the cliff path is a disgrace. Those hedgerows need trimming and grooming. Bournemouth puts us to shame they way they look after and take pride with their gardens.
I think we are talking about sea pools not gardens, and the pool in plymouth is so under used they are thinking of closing it for the winter months to save on costs.
The same with the one in Penzance in Cornwall its under used and the running costs have closed it for the winter
This isn’t Cornwall or Plymouth, it is Sandown sea front.
The salt water pool will have broken bottles thrown in it, along with loosely tied bags of dog excreta resembling black jelly fish discharging their content into the pool.
Like many things, easy to get loans, funding etc to build, NOT so easy to find the money for people to maintain these Wight Elephants once built and ruined by each, yet ever worse generation of universal credit kept feral children.
As stated just a means to start the massive building programme with the Bembridge builders gaining the most lucrative contracts.
Watch, and learn.
Isn’t this a case of, here’s the sea, section off a piece, charge people to swim in an area that was previously used for free? Madness. There are way too many crazies dreaming up lunatic ideas at the cost of the public lately.
That’s funny, we already have a huge tidal sea pool all around the Isle of Wight.
No problem filling it, rather than paying 50p to have a p*ss
in the toilets in Sandown, just p*ss in the pool.
If it is going to be at Yaverland that will right next to an active sewer outfall.
Is that bloke from the Georges Hotel in Yarmouth involved?
ah the one that was full of singing his own praises so far up himself all smoke and mirrors owes hundreds of thousands
Sea pools are usually free. They capture the sea at high tide and stay full when the tide go out. That is the only ones I know about. If there is going to be one on the island it should ideally be at Appley Beach where the tide goes out miles and the beach is well used by many families.
We did have a very nice lake opposite, why not refurbish that
Tidal sea power – that would actually benefit islanders for renewable energy.. we don’t need Victorian era public sea pools. Heights is safer and slightly less chance of bumping into a floater.