Page 32 - br-jan-23

January 2023 January 2023

BROCKWELL PARK LIDO We would be very interested to learn about the wildlife (be it birds, mammals, fish,
butterflies, reptiles, amphibians etc, common or unusual) you’ve seen locally.
Please send details of sightings to us at the email addresses below. We are
fortunate to have a wide range of habitats around the Parish (woodland,
Thumbing through last month’s Parish Magazine I came across a book review by meadows, heath, streams etc) and it would be good to build up a picture of the
the Sociable Bookworms of “The Lido” by Libby Page. I had read this book some wildlife resources we have in the area.
time ago and again just recently. This fictional story is about the efforts of the
community to save Brockwell Lido when it was under threat of closure back in the
1990s. I wrote this piece in the summer of 2017 when I visited the lido for the Join Us at our Conservation Working Parties
Swimming Times Magazine. I hope you enjoy it.
Please come and join us at our Conservation Working Party. The next will be on
Saturday 7 January, followed by others on the first Saturdays of February, March
th
“Hello Bob, fancy seeing you here!” and April 2023. No experience is required, there’s a friendly crowd and it is great
Mike Johnstone had seen me looking fun and exercise too! If you would like to join us please email Mike Gee at
vacantly and in awe around the mike.n.g@outlook.com for more details and a copy of our health and safety
pool. He was soon joined by his wife guidelines.
Sarah and they had been together We will meet by the stream bridge near to the Scout Hut, Elder Road at 10am or
running one of their Streamline Swim you can find us along the river. We normally finish about 12.00. If you have some
sessions at the Brockwell Lido that loppers or hand saws please bring them with you – if you don’t, no problem we’ll
very morning. It never ceases to have some spares along with other tools. Our efforts are helping to conserve the
amaze me how, quite by chance, I best of what is already present along the riverside walkway and is intended to
bump into old friends in the most make the area even more wildlife
unexpected circumstances. friendly.

Mike and Sarah had been regular
swimmers at our East Dorset Open Contact Us
Water Swimming Club’s Annual
Seahorse Swim in Studland Bay which I helped to get started and ran for a If you would like to know more about
number of years. They had been using the pool since 2008. “We love it here” they the work of the Wildlife Group or to be
said “it has a great atmosphere and everyone is so friendly”. included on our mailing list, please
contact:
They had decided to set up their swim coaching sessions to fill a gap between
club and recreational swimmers. Tony Bates at
Taking over 3 lanes of the pool, tonybates19@gmail.com / 01929
they have been coaching adults 471563 or
with an age range of 18 to 70+ on
three evenings a week during the Mike Gee at mike.n.g@outlook.com /
summer months. Mike (an ASA 0775 988 4942.
Level 3 Coach) and Sarah have
also been taking a number of
children’s classes in their swim
school.
Affectionately known by some
locals as Brixton Beach, Brockwell
Park Lido opened to the public
eighty years ago in July 1937. It

38 31