Following a recent visit, patron Luke Froude kindly launched a GoFundMe fundraiser to reinstate The Lido slide.
This former much-loved feature of Chippy Lido was initially a victim of the Covid-19 restrictions but, unfortunately, bringing it back post-pandemic isn’t as simple as having sufficient funds to buy a new slide or refurbish the old one. Updated advice from the Health and Safety Executive makes the safe operation of water slides much more complex and staff-intensive than in the past.
In short, the new UK standards for slides are so onerous that the majority of suppliers have currently stopped selling domestic and public slides.
The Trustees’ top priority right now is to ensure that the pool survives the current energy crisis. To give you one example, our gas bill alone so far this season is already twice the cost of last year. The future of the pool is at stake and we feel that our primary focus should be on keeping the pool open for the benefit of current and future residents.
For multiple reasons, therefore, we are not able to reinstate the slide in the short term.
We’d like to thank Luke for his initiative and generosity in proposing the slide fundraiser. The response to his social media posts confirm that customers do still miss the slide and would like to see it restored. The trustees hope that at some point in the future it will be financially and operationally viable to do so, and we promise to consult and keep the community informed.
We are arranging for all those who’ve already donated to be refunded. Thank you again for your support.