La Vallette pool users pleased the States is taking action
SWIMMERS have welcomed news of etching work starting today at La Vallette to make the poolside surfaces less slippery.
Concerns were raised that the pool area was unsafe when wet and several people took to social media to report users getting injured as a result.
A special treatment to be used this week will increase the grip of the surface.
Guernsey Swim All Seasons members frequently use the pools, including former teacher Rosemary Farish, who uses a stick to walk and requires someone to help her get into the water.
‘I don’t go anywhere without my stick and if I fall I can’t get up,’ she said.
‘I wear swim boots on the surface, but my husband had picked up on the fact it felt slippery.’
She has been a member of the SAS group for about a year, and has been an avid swimmer since she was a child, saying the bathing pools have always been a special place for her.
‘As someone who is an enthusiastic swimmer – I went two or three times a day last year – when I heard what they were doing to make it accessible I was really pleased.’
She said that several other issues, including the visibility of the railing at high tide, were other accessibility issues that needed to be looked into.
Freelance writer Rob Turville was one of the first members to join the group and said that while there has been a marked improvement at the site, some things needed to be improved.
‘The number of people I’ve seen down there has shown that there is a great desire to have a family-friendly and, importantly, an inclusive-for-all outdoor swimming area,’ he said.
‘However, and I hate to sound ungrateful for all that has been done by Vive La Vallette and the States – there still needs to be some tweaks.
‘The new concrete surfaces will eventually wear in and become more grippy. But until that happens, there’s a risk of injury through slipping on the slick surfaces, especially if the area is being used by those who are already a little unsteady.’
Mr Turville swims at Havelet or the Bathing Pools five or six times a week and said that the States’ intention to roughen the surface and provide extra grip has to be welcomed by the community.
‘It’s already a wonderful improvement on what had been a tired and underused facility.’
Neither Mr Turville or Mrs Farish said Vive La Vallette was at fault and were pleased the States was taking action to improve the area.
