Next public meeting of the Haggerston Pool Users Group is on Thursday 13th of February at 7pm in Fellows Court Community Centre which is on the corner of Kent St and How St in the estate opposite the pool. We are planning a letter writing campaign and will also be planning a newsletter as well as general update on progress to re-open the pool. (Meetings ongoing on 2nd Thursday of each month). Everyone welcome.

Strategic Leisure, based in Manchester, are working on the Business Plan for the pool funded by Shoreditch New Deal (ShOW). They have started work by looking at the viability of re-opening the pool and gym with community based activities in the rest of the building. Their final report will be ready in April.

The Council workers have finished the short term work on the pool as promised by the new mayor in his election campaign. They have cleared the gutters, fixed the leaks in the roof and generally made the building water-proof, and cleared the rubbish inside in the infested areas.

As reported in the last pool news letter, some members of the Haggerston Trust have suggested that the activities in Haggerston Community Centre could be moved into Haggerston Pool as part of the local estate development. This is one of the ideas being investigated by the business planners (see above).

There is a rally for affordable housing in the Haggerston area on February 12th at 6pm at Haggerston Community Centre. More information from the community centre.

The London Film Commission have taken on the pool building as one of its locations. So far they have had lots of interest for pop videos and films, but no definite bookings yet. The money from this will go to the Council.

There are also plans for several community film-makers and photographers to do projects in the pool building.

Haggerston Pool Users group is taking part in The London Pools campaign - so far made up of 7 campaigns around closed or threatened pools - to be launched soon. We're looking for high profile patrons - so if you know any famous London people who swim, please let us know.

The campaign to stop the closure of York Hall Baths is building strongly while Tower Hamlets council stick to their plans to knock down the building to build flats. This is a high profile campaign, partly due to the backing of the boxing aristocracy. Their next meeting is Weds February 12th at St Margaret's House in Old Ford Road at 7:30. More information from the cafe in St Margaret's House or to join the email group for the campaign send a blank email to Yorkhall-subscribe@yahoogroups.co.uk.

The Environment Trust and Market Sports have put in a proposal to the Council to re-open the lido. The Council are considering the proposal and The London Fields Lido User group are waiting to hear back.

Islington Council wrote a letter to the Islington Gazette in response to a letter querying the closure of the baths confirming that the baths are not to close and will continue to be managed by Aquaterra with whom they have just signed a 10 year contract.

There has been a series of articles and letters in the Daily Telegraph about the lack of swimming provision - relating to London's Olympic bid. This was started by articles by Anita Lonsbrough (Olympic swimming gold medallist) and Kate Hoey (ex Sports Minister) saying it was a scandal that there are more 50m pools in Paris than there are in the whole of Britain.

They also highlight the importance of encouraging swimming in schools - saying despite swimming being on the National Curriculum there is less swimming now in primary schools than 30 years ago - we know this is true in Haggerston.

The London Pools campaign is writing to the Telegraph to add our views. You can read all this on the Telegraphs website - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ which you have to register to join, but it's free.