Who
are the Friends?
The
Friends of Jubilee Park are a voluntary group dedicated to securing the
future of the amenity we know as Jubilee Park. We welcome all and
seek to work in co-operation with East Lindsey District Council
(ELDC) in order to secure and enhance the Park’s unique character
within the heart of Woodhall Spa and as a major attraction within
Lincolnshire.
What have they achieved so far?
Since its formation in 2005 FOJP has managed to secure a grant of £1.54 million from ELDC, which primarily was to be used to repair, upgrade and modernise the open air heated swimming pool and the changing rooms. The pump, heating and filtration systems were replaced in 2007 and the aim was to refurbish the pool at the end of the 2009 season. Subject to a successful tendering process this would hopefully see a stainless steel liner installed in the pool tank in preference to reinforced concrete and ceramic tiles. A stainless steel liner would guarantee pool use for at least another 25 years and reduce annual maintenance costs. The pool water would also be brought up to deck level, which would prove aesthetically pleasing
and effective in skimming off the detritus that tends to accumulate on the surface of an open air pool. The design would also incorporate a stainless a steel staircase at the shallow end (see photograph), lane rope and starting block fixings for six lanes and underwater lighting. The children’s paddling pool, already much-improved in 2007 when the water temperature was raised to the same as the adult pool, was to retain it’s traditional construction, but be modernised to have the latest non-slip surface and water fun-games! The changing rooms were to be improved to allow for better and easier cleaning by staff, giving improved hygiene benefits as well as lowering running costs! The building will be updated, to provide, if technically possible, an additional family changing area as well as retaining the existing separated sex areas!
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A vision of the future - Stainless steel liner, steps and handrails at Parliament Hills Lido, Hampstead Heath, London |
In June 2008 ELDC took the decision to close the Camping and Caravanning site for good at the end of the season and demolish the rapidly decaying cafe. This was undoubtedly very disappointing news to the staff and regular users, but the fact was the site was losing money year on year and required serious investment to improve the facilities and achieve DDA compliance. However, to enable other plans to mature the closure of the camping site was postponed until the end of the 2009 season and the cafe was repaired sufficiently to allow the local newsagent to operate it.
Unfortunately, the economic down turn and the loss of savings in Icelandic banks has since forced ELDC to review its spending and put a hold on the £1.54m. This action prompted Woodhall Spa Parish Council to take the initiative..........Press Release:
Spa to take over running of Jubilee Park
Woodhall Spa could be running Jubilee Park itself from the end of the 2010 season if all goes to plan.
At a packed public meeting on 22nd September, the Parish Council received overwhelming support for its proposal that the community takes over the running of the park from the district council and with its support. This would be subject to the acceptance of a business plan for the facility.
Over 200 people squeezed into St Peter’s Hall, to hear Parish Council Chairman David Clarke explain the background to the council’s proposal, designed to safeguard the long-term future of the Park, which has been run by East Lindsey District Council since local government re-organisation in 1974.
Jubilee Park was built for the people of Woodhall Spa by Lady Weigall and first opened in 1935. The Urban District Council took it over in 1948. In the recent Parish Plan the people of Woodhall Spa expressed their full support for this much loved and unique park and swimming pool and fears that it might close prompted public pressure on ELDC to invest in refurbishment. The Friends of Jubilee Park organisation was set up and there followed a long period of investigation and consultation with an independent consultancy appointed by ELDC . The result was a promised investment of £1.54m.
The meeting heard, however, that because of the current economic crisis, ELDC was now facing significant cuts on the income it received from central government and its priorities had changed from an emphasis on leisure to one on tourism. Consequently it was having to look at ways of cutting its losses in running facilities like Jubilee Park, including putting them out to tender. The chances of Woodhall Spa receiving the full investment as originally proposed were therefore almost non-existent and carrying on subsidising at current levels was not an option either.
Once the Parish Council heard of these changes in August, it immediately began taking advice on what it could do and decided that the only way forward was to propose that the community take over running the park, with ELDC support, and subject to a range of conditions. A meeting to discuss this was held with the Leader, Chief Executive and Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Tourism on 3rd September.
“They were amazed at the work we had already done. It was a very positive meeting. We were showing them a way to reduce their losses in the Park and they agreed to all our requests and conditions,” Cllr Clarke told the meeting.
These ranged from full disclosure of true costs- without overheads -and full involvement in the marketing, promotion and running of the park in 2010 to financial support in the preparation of a marketing plan and agreement that the pool itself and the buildings with it must be brought up to standard. The community organisation that would run the park would also be the one to project manage the refurbishment as without ELDC overheads it could make any investment go much further.
Any community takeover would also mean that all income streams must be retained and improved– including the existing caravan site and the café, the meeting was told. The aim was to use any profits from these areas to subsidise the pool, though it was hoped that with improved marketing and fewer overheads the current losses would be much reduced.
“We all know that the marketing and promotion of the park over the years has been very poor. We also know that if we are given the money to spend, we can make it go much further, East Lindsey agreed on both these points, “ David added.
The park would not, and could not, be run by the Parish council, but the council would oversee the setting up and launch of a suitable body and a steering group had been set up to take this forward with parish and district councillors and the Friends of Jubilee Park represented . A number of different models had been explored for the managing organisation. Paramount were the need to protect the assets- so they could not be sold off- and to limit individual liability. “We have been advised that forming a Community Interest company would be the best way forward for us, but we are still looking at all the options,” he said.
In managing the risks it was currently proposed that each part of the park – swimming pool, caravan site, café and the rest, would be run by separate businesses so that if one went down it would not threaten the rest. The whole would be co-ordinated by an umbrella body.
All this, however, was conditional on three important issues- that the community supported the idea, that a single proposal was put forwards from Woodhall Spa (no others would be entertained) and that the business plan, to be completed by summer 2010, was acceptable. The aim was to provide a sustainable framework for the park to continue. ELDC would initially provide a subsidy, yet to be agreed, but this would decrease over time.
“Most of the hard work will be in producing the Business Plan, this will be crucial” David explained. “We hope to find two or three people with management, financial or legal expertise to help us through this process, the plan itself will be prepared for us –at a cost- but we need an experienced team to guide it through.” He added that other people with expertise in specific areas could be asked to help with parts of the plan.
A separate group had also been set up by the Parish Council to look at the promotion and marketing of the pool, this would take feedback from the current season and feed into the business plan and into proposals for next year.
The meeting heard examples of the some of the many ideas put forward so far- from adding value to the key card or season ticket to connecting up cycle ways with the water railway to make it easier for cyclists to access the park and approaching schools across the county to offer them summer term days out.
In conclusion David Clark asked the community to come up with more ideas- however mad or unusual they might seem, on everything from pricing to opening times and suggestions for extra income streams. “We will consider everything,” he promised.
These can be submitted in a number of ways- via a special email address jubileeparkgroup@tiscali.co.uk, in suggestion boxes that will be placed in the library and around the village, to the parish office on Stanhope Avenue or via the existing community website www.woodhallspa.org
If anyone felt they had the right qualification to help steer the business plan production process, he also asked them to get in touch with the clerk or himself.
Since the meeting the council reported that many other ideas have been put forward. These included developing the café into a Bistro type venue, using the pool area for roller or ice skating during the winter, contacting swimming clubs around the county and offering pool time, developing the retail side of the pool, bringing back cycle hire, late night sessions and barbeques at the pool, more concerts to use the bandstand, better liaison with RAF Coningsby to attract users from there, and setting up a gym to be open all year.
The Parish Council will be keeping the community informed of future developments.
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Arts
& Crafts
The
Body, known as The Friends of Jubilee Park (FOJP), has been established
as a result of the 
The
purpose of the attached presentation is to secure a view for our
Park that is consistent with the views and needs of our community,
recognizing that Jubilee Park is a valued amenity that is unique
to Lincolnshire. In October 2006 this view was shared with East
Lindsey District Council, in parallel with those of the consultants
for Jubilee Park - Erskine Corporation. 
East Lindsey District
Council (ELDC) & their consultants 
ools
& Lido websites:
Seek inspiration
from other 'Friends' groups 
