It’s 28 Degrees for the Boxing Day and New Year’s Day Swims: Lido Ponty
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council can fund Pontypridd Lido and heat the water to 28 degrees but they have NO money to fund the Aberdare Splash Pad or paddling pools in the rest of RCT.
After a rollercoaster year of early morning swims in all weathers, family fun in the sun, and the return of our cold water swim sessions, Lido Ponty is wrapping up 2023 the traditional way – with a Boxing Day Swim.
Tickets go on sale 9am on Monday, December 4, for the much-loved event, which offers a festive swim in the heated pools. Don’t forget your Santa hat!
Following the cold water swims, where the water temperature dropped to 15 degrees, you’ll be pleased to know pool temperatures will rise back to 28 degrees for Boxing Day.
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Or, why not start 2024 as you mean to carry on with a dip at Lido Ponty on New Year’s Day?! Tickets for these sessions go on sale at 9am on Monday, December 11.
Cllr Ann Crimmings, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Leisure, said: “Boxing Day and New Year’s Day swims are the final events in the Lido Ponty calendar before we close down to get ready to do it all again at Easter time – and we cannot wait!
“Over 117,000 people visited Lido Ponty in 2023, and we have loved welcoming each and every one of them to our beautiful attraction – rain and shine!
“The cold water swim sessions, which were introduced as a trial last year, have become more and more popular. It’s been great to see people travel from across south Wales for cold water dips – whether that was for training, for fun or to get into practice for wild swimming.
“Boxing Day and New Year’s Day are the last sessions to get your Lido Ponty fix for a while, so make sure you get your tickets when they go on sale.”
Boxing Day Swims go on sale 9am on Monday, December 4. Tickets are £7, including a hot chocolate. Under fives swim free. Please bring your own Christmas hats – we’d love to share them on our socials.
New Year’s Day swims go on sale 9am Monday, December 11. Tickets are £7 and, again, under fives go free.
Tickets will be on sale at www.lidoponty.co.uk
1 The National Lido of Wales within Rhondda Cynon Taf has three swimming pools; please can you provide the amount of funding RCTC provides to heat the three pools for the year 2021?
£120,302
2 What was the total cost of funding provided by RCTC for The National Lido of Wales for the year 2021?
£379,499
3 Has The National Lido of Wales received additional funding from sources other than from RCTC for the year 2021 if The National Lido of Wales has received funding from other resources please can you supply a list of who subscribes?
No additional funding sources.
4 The following events held at The National Lido of Wales were publicised on your website, please can you provide the individual cost of heating the three pools for (A) the Boxing Day Swimming section and (B) the New Year Day section? And the total cost of opening The National Lido of Wales for each individual day?
Heating Costs – It is impossible to provide exact figures as there are many variable factors such as the external air temperatures specifically during period of heating the pool for the events and likewise the actual costs of utilities at that time etc, however costs are projected on 8 days in total of heating required for the Christmas events to enable the pool to achieve the operational temperatures required, and on that basis utility costs are projected at £1242.31 per event
Total cost per event £178 = (£3225 staffing + £1242 Utilities + £211 Other/Chemicals/cleaning – less £4500 income)
5 The 2021 season was an incredible success for the Lido, with over 98,500 visitors. What profit was made from The National Lido of Wales for the RCT Council for the year 2021?
The National Lido is a subsidised facility which does not make a profit. In 2022 it has catered for over 112,000 users, including providing free access to 31,545 children under 16yrs.
6 With rising costs in inflation and the escalating cost of energy the predicted shortfall of funding by the leader of the council, what will the authority do to cut down the cost of running The National Lido of Wales will there be (A) Boxing Day Swimming section (B) New Year Day section this year or keep open The National Lido of Wales with unheated pools?
The Council are committed to providing the Christmas and New year’s day swims for 2022 as previously advertised and as indicated above, the subsidy for these specific special events amount to circa £178 per day.
However, in light of the global costs effecting utilities, all aspects of the future operation are currently being reviewed in respect of the 2023 operations, and proposals will be made in due course and considered by the Council’s Senior Management Team, following which the outcomes will be published.
