North Herefordshire's pool adapts for customers needs

Herefordshire Council has identified funds to provide changing facilities which will better enable customers with more challenging disabilities to use the new pool for North Herefordshire.

The Council has worked alongside a number of user groups in developing the plans for the pool, at Leominster, to help ensure that it meets the needs of as many customers as possible.

Regular meetings have taken place with disability group representatives, to look at the opportunities for meeting the particular requirements of this group of users.

The issue of the need for a changing bed and hoist for disabled customers was first raised at these meetings and taken on board for due consideration under the planning phase for the changing areas.

Council staff assessed the practicality of this level of provision and found that these facilities could be incorporated into the final design.

The pool meets the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act and facilities provided now go above and beyond these requirements.

Due to the physical restriction of the Leominster site and planning constraints, it is not possible to provide custom-built facilities for all individuals with special needs.

The main leisure provision for customers with particular special needs will still be at Hereford Leisure Pool, where the size and location of the site make providing such specific facilities reasonable and practical.

Cllr Stockton, Cabinet Member (Community and Social Development), said: “Providing a changing bed and hoist for our disabled customers was an option that was never ruled out and we were surprised when the issue was debated in the press.

“The only problem we foresaw was configuring the extremely limited space to provide for the extra equipment.

“We’re satisfied that there’s sufficient need for such facilities and we are now able to meet the cost from existing budgets.

“The Council strives to provide as many facilities as possible to Herefordshire residents.

“At a time when many local authorities are closing local swimming pools Herefordshire is the only authority in the West Midlands to be building a new pool.

“This of course wouldn’t be possible without the fantastic efforts of the local fund raisers who’ve managed to raise around £200,000 and thanks should go to all of them,” he added.