Introducing paid parking at La Vallette a bad idea

In winter while the two-hour spaces remain between the cafe and the aquarium, at this time of year all the rest become 10-hour parking, but to suggest experimenting with paid parking in this area is a mistake.

This idea did not go down well with the original swimmers of La Vallette. These people, especially those who are now pensioners, some ages 70 to 80 years, have been coming down here to socialise and swim for years and years, some since childhood.

I’m guessing that Rupert Dorey is still a comparatively young man compared to us and perhaps fit enough to park in Town and walk down here, or cycle here.

To suggest that paid parking is similar to a charge to moor a boat in the marina is like comparing chalk and cheese. To us the original swimmers, owning a boat is a luxury, whereas for us, a car is a necessity.

It’s a shame that Rupert Dorey did not visit the area more often or he would have seen that before the building was destroyed we had a vibrant community down here at La Vallette pools with over 100 people gathering and swimming every day.

We had a refurbished changing room, undertaken by AFM and a dozen other local businesses, and a facility for making hot drinks, especially needed in the winter months.

The regular swimmers were a real mixture of ages, but always welcomed by the original swimmers.

When we were thrown out of our changing room and the building was virtually demolished, this large community scattered all over the island. Some stayed close by, using the gents’ and horseshoe pools, but most of the original swimmers of La Vallette stubbornly stayed despite the noise and disruption of the development. We would not be chased away.

And we are still here. You can usually find us gathered in the small area next to the public toilets between 7.30 and 10am. Just enough room to socialise and swim. Come and say hello, we are a friendly lot. So my message to you Rupert Dorey is ‘On yer bike’. Leave us alone.

Janine Le Sauvage

Meadow View

Les Hubits de Bas,

St Martin’s

GY4 6NB