Family bypasses leisure centre as row rumbles on

Family bypasses leisure centre as row rumbles on

10 June 2015

DOWN Leisure Centre has lost the custom of the Clarke family from Ballynoe due to the uncertainty over private swimming lessons.

Gemma Clarke now drives her children on a 37-mile round trip to Carryduff for lessons every week after becoming concerned about the unpredictable future of lessons in Downpatrick.

Her concerns have arisen as a result of a Newry Mourne and Down Council proposal to create a £4.85 tax for children entering the local leisure centre for private tuition as well as a rule to prevent swimming teachers from booking slots any more than a week in advance.

The move is being considered as a means of deterring private swimming lessons in favour of council-run swimming programmes and means parents would be forced to pay between £16-£20 for a 20-minute slot.

Gemma is one of many parents who are outraged by the proposal, which they feel will reduce the quality of provision, cause lengthy waiting lists or force parents to pay extortionate fees to maintain private tuition. 

She explained her six year-old daughter Charlotte had been enrolled in one-to-two swimming lessons with Ripples Aqua School in the local leisure centre for the past year where she progressed through the first four stages of the accredited Swim Ireland programme.

Prior to that, Charlotte had attended council-run lessons which Gemma felt were unsatisfactory because of the lack of personal attention and progress.

So keen was Gemma to maintain her daughter’s progress with Ripples that she has now secured an alternative place with the swim school in Carryduff and no longer uses the Downpatrick pool.

Although Gemma believes the council’s drive to increase the costs of private lessons left her with no choice, swimming campaigners have this week estimated that her move alone will cost Down Leisure Centre about £340 in lost revenue per year

“Everything has been left up in the air and initially the council led us to believe lessons would be cut by the end of June,” said Gemma.

“Continuity of lessons is very important as Charlotte has never been out of lessons and is doing so well recently through the private scheme.

“I previously sent her to the council’s lessons but was dissatisfied with those. They served a purpose in the early stages but when she needed to further herself that did not happen.

“Swimming is a life skill and it is a skill I personally do not have. When I go on holidays I feel left out and I do not want my children to feel that way.

“These private lessons are superior. The children are set targets, they have goals and they get rewarded.Unfortunately I am now driving out of the district to avail of these.

“I have been absolutely disgusted by this whole issue. If the system was working so smoothly in Downpatrick why would they want to change it? To me they are discriminating against many children.

“If this goes ahead there will be an exodus of children from Down Leisure Centre.”

Alisa Keane, who is helping to co-ordinate a parental campaign against changes to private lessons that has attracted almost 900 followers, has estimated Gemma’s move to Carryduff will cost the council £340 annually.

“When Charolotte had her lesson the family would also go swimming and that created additional revenue for the council,” she said.

“So now every week they drive past Down Leisure Centre for the 37-mile round trip so Charlotte can learn to swim and there can be guaranteed consistency in her lessons.

“Charlotte also has a little brother who will most likely stay in Carryduff for his lessons, which suggests additional future loss.”

Mrs Keane, who will make a presentation to the council at the end of the month where she will demonstrate the revenue private pupils bring to the leisure centre, said council officers had misled councillors about the money they generate. She said parents were outraged that a council officer had recently claimed private pupils only bring 48 pence to the council and said the real figure was in the region of £3.20.

She said this figure was a very conservative estimate, which does not include revenue brought in by family members who often get into the swimming pool at the same time.

“This is the revenue that will be lost if the council forges ahead,” she said.

“These are the facts we will present to councillors on June 29.”