After nearly six years of campaigning I am delighted to tell you that the last stage of the refurbishment of Camberwell Baths is now complete. Following the opening of the pool and the gym in 2011, the final three areas which will open to the public on 7 January 2013 are the Warwick Hall, the Jubilee Hall ( formerly the Sports Hall) and the Camberwell Youth Centre ( see below) With your marching, petitioning, letter writing and general bloody mindedness, you all played critical roles in this legacy project with helping the community to access the Free Swimming Capital Modernisation Fund, and the Olympic Legacy Fund. This enabled us to access matching capital funds from Southwark Council, and to make the whole project both cost efficient and achievable. It has already been an enormous success, with 22,000 users every month even without the additional three spaces. The two refurbished halls will mean that Camberwell Baths will have the largest communal activity space in Southwark. It will be a multi use space, and we are hoping that the first Camberwell Free Film Festival will have a showing in the Jubilee Hall in March. We are particularly excited about the new Youth Centre, and the Youth Leader, PK, who will be joining us from the Damilola Taylor Centre in Peckham. The three new spaces are: Jubilee Hall – This 600 sqm hall has had an entire makeover including a new glazed roof light, audio visual system and air conditioning. A huge amount of space has been created by raising the floor to one level; this means the space can now be used for sports, exercise classes and much more. Warwick Hall – Named after Alderman Alfred Charles Warwick, the 200 sqm hall has been transformed. The old ceiling was removed to expose the beautiful Victorian roof structure allowing classes to enjoy lots of natural daylight. The hall also has a new sprung floor, sound system, improved ventilation and air conditioning, and acoustic improvements to reduce noise breakout from the space. Camberwell Youth Centre – Specially aimed at 13 to 19 year olds, our youth centre is quite different from the other youth clubs in the borough in that it will offer creative sessions that can be booked in advance. When the programme begins in January our team of youth workers will be on hand to encourage young minds to get involved in making music, creative art, and get advice and guidance on fitness and healthy living, training, jobs and work experience. A programme of activities and opening times for the Camberwell Youth Centre will be available in the New Year.

Some updates on developments: Camberwell Youth Centre (CYC) The CYC is new to the leisure centre and is an area which has been entirely refurbished and dedicated for use by children and young people. A draft programme of activity is being planned and from today young people aged eight to 21 can take part in a short survey to tell Southwark what they want from the youth centre. They will then plan to incorporate some of the popular suggestions into the programme. Just click on this link and let Southwark@s Youth team know what you want https://forms.southwark.gov.uk/ShowForm.asp?fm_fid=840 The specific aim for the youth centre is to provide a safe, fun and welcoming environment creating learning opportunities and activities. CYC is not intended to be another venue to play football or just hang out, they will be providing a creative atmosphere for young minds to get involved in making music, creative art, and get advice and guidance on fitness and healthy living, training, jobs and work experience. The youth centre will provide varied and inventive, entertaining and educational workshops run by qualified youth workers and guest presenters with all activities fully supervised by the youth team. Sports Hall A new corridor from dry changing along the end of the sports hall and into the gym is now complete and self contained which means that when the sports hall is occupied its users won’t be distracted by customers visiting the gym. There are windows so customers could take a look at the activities going on in the sports hall. When you visit the centre you’ll see that the floor has been raised to enable the space to be a home for sports, exercise classes and a whole range of creative uses. Reflecting on the history of this beautiful Grade II Listed Building the team at Camberwell have been inspired to prepare an initial creative programme to include different types of dance for all ages and various times of the day. Warwick Hall In addition to the ceiling, the sensitively restored 200 square metre area will also have a new sprung floor, sound system, improved ventilation and air conditioning, and acoustic improvements to reduce noise breakout from the space. The exercise programme is expected to be published in December. Outside the centre Messrs Spalding and Cross (original architects and builders of Camberwell Baths) would be as proud as we are with the renovation work of the front of the building. Where required, window sashes have been replaced, the brick work repaired, cleaned and redecorated and we have even got the clock working again.

I hope that you have noticed that the clock on Camberwell Baths is now working again after many years. We now have over 20,000 people using Camberwell Baths, which compares with 30,000 at Dulwich Baths. Once the new Sports Hall, Warwick Hall and Youth Centre open in January then we hope that even more people will be able to use the fantastic facilities. The contractors are on schedule, and due to complete their work on about 10 December and hand over to Fusion on that date. Now that the handover date is clear, Southwark Youth Services Team, led by PK, have been planning activity programmes for the Youth Centre for the New Year.

Sports Hall and Warwick Hall Construction work will start on Monday 30 July, and work will be complete in December 2012. Unfortunately, this means that the opening of the Youth Centre will not happen in October as originally planned. Front of the building The brick work was in a much poorer state than anyone had anticipated so the work has been extended by a few weeks. The Clock The clock mechanism is being replaced, and so we will have a working clock very soon. We have found the original Victorian clock mechanism there, so let me know if you are an expert!

Youth Annexe at the Baths

Young adults’ club programme It has not been possible to open the Youth Annexe at the Baths because of ongoing work to the Olympic Hall and the Warwick Hall. However, we are hoping that it will be open in October, and there will be a seven-day programme of activities each week. The youth services team is busy working on a supervised programme of events for all local young people to become involved in. In September, the final touches will be made to the new youth annexe opening for young adults from eleven up to 25 year olds (core group from 13 to 19 years). Provisions have been made for direct access from Harvey Road, with use of multipurpose workshop areas, a cafe and breakout area and quick access through to the sports hall and Warwick Hall to bring young people and leisure activity closer together. There will be a range of opportunities on offer for young people including open access youth projects and specialist services such as volunteering and information, advice and guidance available. We will also be working closely with Fusion to develop opportunities for access to the leisure centre.

May news

Don't be alarmed when you see scaffolding going up outside CamberwellBaths. It's‘face-lift’. Funds have been secured to enable the front of the building to be repaired, cleaned and redecorated. The window sashes will be inspected and replaced where required, as will any broken windows. The best news of all is that the clock is to be inspected to see if we can get it working again. The scaffolding will be in place for approximately two months and the Baths will be open as usual. Olympic Hall and Warwick Hall During July construction is expected to start on redeveloping the sports hall ( Olympic) and Warwick Hall. The sports hall will have a new glazed roof light, audio visual system and will be air conditioned. As soon as we have the new floor plan to share with you it will be displayed in the cafe along with the list of games which could be played when the hall floor is levelled. Warwick Hall is also being transformed. The old ceiling is being removed to expose the beautiful Victorian roof structure allowing the classes to enjoy lots of natural daylight. The old floor is being replaced with a new sprung sports floor and the studio will be air conditioned. The area will also have improved acoustic treatment and a full audio visual system.

Look how far we have come

When sorting through my archives recently I came across these plans from a company of architects. They show how the refurbishment of the pool would have been achieved through the redevelopment of the area at the back of the Baths. So we would have had no 30 station gym, no youth centre, no Warwick Hall and no Olympic (Sports) Hall.

Makes you think doesn't it?

http://ashsak.com/camberwell-baths-london-grade-ii/

Olympic Capital Legacy Fund: Latest News

Dear Supporter

I have just heard that following the application from the Camberwell Baths Campaign, the Olympic Capital Legacy Funding Panel has recommended that the Sports Hall (now to be known as the Olympic Hall) should receive £490K from the fund! The decision will now go forward for approval to Southwark Council (specifically Cllr Livingstone).

Matched with the £500K from Southwark Council's capital programme, that means that we will have reached our target for total refurbishment of the Olympic Hall.

We cannot celebrate just yet as the decision has not been ratified by Southwark Council, but should be in about 2 weeks.

Please find below the link to the full report on the Olympic Capital Legacy Bid. I have also taken out some of the key points for you:

http://moderngov.southwarksites.com/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=22879

Ten projects are recommended for full or part award. These are:

§ Bethwin Road Playground’s bid for a multi use games area in Bethwin Road

for £95K

§ Southwark Tennis Club’s bid for support for a BMX Track for Burgess Park

for £150K

§ The Camberwell Baths Campaign’s bid for a further phase of refurbishment

to the Camberwell Leisure Centre Sports Hall for £490K

§ Herne Hill Velodrome Trust’s bid for a contribution towards refurbishment of

the Herne Hill Velodrome track for £400K

§ Athenlay Football Club’s bid for a Sports Ground Development in Homestall

Road for £175k

§ Peckham Town Football Club’s bid for an Outdoor disability multi-sports court

for £85K

§ Fusion’s bid for a disability Pool Hoist for the Peckham Pulse Healthy Living

Centre for £5.6K

§ The parks and open spaces’ service bid for upgrading the Peckham Rye

pitches & changing rooms for £200K

§ The sports services’ bid for a contribution towards the redevelopment of the

Southwark Park Sports complex for £370K

§ Trinity in Camberwell’s bid for an outdoor sports area in Camberwell for £30K

The Camberwell Baths Campaign’s bid for a further phase of refurbishment to

the Camberwell Leisure Centre Sports Hall is a community driven proposal that

upgrades a significantly under used facility located in an area of high demand. 5

The sports hall forms the final phase in the wider refurbishment of the leisure

centre and would greatly increase usable space. The bid offers minimum risk

with achievable and realistic costs that afford good value for money. The board

felt that this bid would afford a strong legacy and would very likely improve

access to and participation in sport. For this reason, this project is recommended

to be funded to 99% of the amount applied for.

Four projects are not recommended to be funded. These are:

• London Southbank University’s (LSBU) bid for a new entrance to the LSBU

sports centre for £309.5K

• The Peckham Settlement’s bid for a new ‘Southwark run training facility’ in

the Peckham Settlement for £70K

• Sustrans’ bid for the ‘Connect2’ and ‘South Bermondsey Link’ projects for

£461K

• Tideways Sailability’s bid for an ability centre and pontoon access to the

River Thames for £490K

New Gym opens on Saturday 24 September

At last the new gym is opening! The revamped, larger gym will open its doors on Saturday 24 September. I understand that there will be 30 workout stations and all of the latest fitness equipment, as well as new changing rooms.

I would suggest a look at the Fusion website ( http://www.fusion-lifestyle.com/centres/Camberwell_Leisure_Centre) for all of the details on what will be available, as well as costs of membership.

However, there is a chance to win Choice memberships in a competition which is being run by Fusion. The entry is online at www.southwark.gov.uk/camberwell , or you can complete a form at Camberwell Baths .

The closing date for the competition is 15 September and winners will be notified on 20 September.

Olympic Capital Legacy Fund Stage 1

We have just heard that our application for the refurbishment of the Sports Hall has been recommended to continue to Phase 2 of the process. We have applied for £500K for the refurbishment of the Sports Hall. Below is an outline of our application request.

The opening of the pool in February will be followed by the gym, dry-side changing rooms, Warwick Hall and Youth Area in September 2011. These works are defined as Phase 2 and 3. The contractors will remain on site until this date. This means that considerable savings would be achieved should funding be available to proceed with Phase 4 development in 2011.The only remaining areas of the centre requiring significant investment to bring them up to modern standards are the Sports Hall, and the 2^nd class entrance off Harvey Road. The Sports Hall currently features a sunken area (approximating the former pool tank) which is used for football and badminton sessions. The hall has poor heating and ventilation, and due to a lack of maintenance and investment, the roof and lantern windows leak, and poor insulation results large energy losses from the building. These works are defined as Phase 4.

It is the Sports Hall which is the subject of the application for funds from the Olympic Legacy Project. The total cost for refurbishing the Sports Hall is £1,097,806.

As a campaigning body, Camberwell Baths is encouraging the Executive Committee of Southwark Council to allocate funding from the Capital Programme fund to complete Phase 4 of the refurbishment. However, at the time of writing it is unclear the level of funding which may be awarded. It is in this context that an application has been made to the Olympic Legacy Project, putting forward Phase 4 development of Camberwell Leisure Centre as an appropriate legacy project for the people of Camberwell. This funding would allow the completion of a high quality project.

We would recommend that the Sports Hall is renamed The Olympic Hall in recognition of this legacy.

Camberwell Leisure Centre holds an important place in the strategic development of Camberwell in terms of its contribution not only to health and well being, but also is a symbol of civic pride. With the closure of the Town Hall, Camberwell Leisure Centre will be the only heritage building in Camberwell which is open to the public. It therefore represents a rare opportunity for local residents to immerse themselves in living history. It is rare, being one of only 13 Victorian swimming pools in England which is still open for public use. The critical role that it will play in terms of engaging young people to participate in sports and leisure activities is also critical.

Camberwell Baths: Community Open Day on Saturday March 12 from 10am

As you know the pool is now open and some of you have already had the chance to look round and also have a swim. This Saturday there will be the chance of FREE SWIMMING from 11am to 3pm. This has been organised by Fusion, and they are also funding it.

You will need to book though as safety rules mean that only 100 people are allowed in the pool at any one time. There is a number you can call before the day to prebook your free session, which is 0844 893 3888.

The four sessions are 11-12, 12.30-1.30, 2-3 and 3.30- 4.30.

Alternatively, just turn up on the day and book a slot. If you have to wait around for your swim, then there will a marquee in the car park with lots of activities going on, including Tai Chi. The marquee will be open from 10am to 3pm.

There is an opening ceremony just after 10am, which will be run by Southwark Council. After that there is a display of synchronised swimming by Out to Swim Angels!

The timings are below.

10am - Marquee opens - exhibition displays (historical and plans for new gym), Community Games coach advising on fitness, face painting, badge making, local community table, tea and coffee

10.10 - The welcome address and cutting the ribbon to declare the centre doors open

10.20 - Visitors are admitted to the balcony to be seated (first 100 only)

10.30 - Commemorative synchronisation swimming display - Out to Swim Angels

11am - First of four free swimming sessions starts (100 people admitted at a time)

11.10 - Cutting of the celebratory cake in the marquee (or outside in Artichoke Place if sunny/dry)

12.30 to 1.30 - Tai Chi demonstration and workshop (visitors will be encouraged to join in)

Enjoy!

Press Announcement for Opening on Monday 28 February

The Camberwell Baths Campaign are delighted to welcome the re opening of the swimming pool at Camberwell Leisure Centre on Monday 28 February.

After a four year campaign, the first stage of the refurbishment of the Leisure Centre is now complete. We would like to pay tribute to the cross party support for the project, and the key roles played by our local Labour MP Harriet Harman, as well as Conservative Councillor Lewis Robinson. We are equally delighted to have received assurances from the Leader of the Council, Peter John, that the Council is ‘ confident that we will find the capital’ to complete the refurbishment of the Sports Hall.

We have asked the Council to clarify the date for the capital programme decision, which has been delayed from February, so that refurbishment of the Sports Hall can begin whilst the contractors are still on site, and so ensure that maximum savings are made.

The refurbishment of the Sports Hall , and completion of the gym and the Warwick Hall will provide the additional revenue streams necessary to ensure the future financial stability of the Centre

Political Will: Brunswick Ward By Election

Political will is very important. If politicians want to make something happen, then they usually can. That's why we are asking candidates who are standing in the Brunswick Ward by election what they are willing to do for Camberwell Baths.

Time is important. The contractors are still on site, and if we can get the additional funding in the next 2 months, then considerable efficiencies can be achieved. If decisions on the capital programme are delayed (as they appear to have been from February 2011 to a currently unspecified date), then we will lose the window of opportunity to get the Sports Hall refurbished at the current price.

Specifically we are asking candidates whether they are committed to the following:

1) Carrying out complete refurbishment of the Sports Hall (£1.09m)

2) Bringing forward the capital programme decision so that refurbishment of the Sports Hall can begin whilst the contractors are still on site, and so ensure that maximum savings are made

3) Seeking third party funding to complete refurbishment

By election implications

The resignation of John Friary, the Labour councillor for Brunswick Ward, has meant that a by election will take place on 10 March. A by election means that there is a period of 'purdah' where politicians of all parties cannot appear at any Council run event which may generate publicity for their campaign.

In the light of this, so that politicians can be present to make the speeches and appear in photographs, Southwark Council have decided to delay the official opening event, with Free Swimming, to Saturday 12 March.

This delay is disappointing to us. As a campaigning body, our focus is to ensure that Camberwell Baths is a financial success so that it does not get into the same spiral of lack of investment as before. Part of that means getting as many people as possible to use the facilities as soon as possible. We would have preferred to keep to the date of 5 March, but that's politics for you.

Equally disappointing is the delay on the decision on the Capital Programme, which has been shifted back from February 2011 to September 2011. The reasons for the delay are unclear.

We need £1.09m to complete the Sports Hall refurbishment this year. Peter John, Leader of the Council, indicated his strong support for the investment at our public meeting on 3 November.

Whether the money comes from his £2m Olympic Legacy Fund, or the Capital Programme, we will be keeping up the pressure and continue to campaign to get current Southwark councillors to take up the baton from the LibDem/Tory councillors, and to complete the refurbishment of Camberwell Baths.

How the money stacked up

Here is the definitive breakdown of the money raised for Camberwell Baths, and where the money came from.

Free Swimming Capital Fund: £1,450,000: External Funding From Department of Culture Media and Sport - Camberwell received the largest grant nationally

Leisure Investment Fund: 1,500,000: Council Internal Contribution. Allocated from 12.3m Leisure Investment Programme

Leisure Investment Fund +: 500,000: Council Internal Contribution. Allocated from 12.3m Leisure Investment Programme

Youth Capital Fund: 579,000: External Funding allocated to Camberwell following Young People consultation.

Youth Funding +: 45,000: External Funding allocated to Camberwell following Young People consultation.

Cleaner Greener Safer: 52,000: Internal Council Funding

London Marathon Trust: 100,000: External Funding From London Marathon, Mayor of London

Southwark Council Leisure Facilities Capital Budget: 20,000: Internal Council Funding (Roger Pearson)

Southwark Council Property Services: 150,000: Internal Council Funding from Property Services

Leisure Investment Fund Refresh: 154,000: Internal Council funding following review of £12.3m

Playsport Facilities Fund: 50,000:Mayors Legacy Funding

S106: 100,000: S106 funding ( Planning Gain from local developments)

Pool Opens on Monday 28 February!

Yes at last the pool will open to the public on Monday 28 February! It looks fantastic, and the 25m main pool has been fully refurbished and retiled, now with a separate learner pool, as well as new male, female and family wet-changing areas.

We have a new entrance foyer, reception and social area/café, all of which are wheelchair accessible.

Please let everyone know that Camberwell Baths are open for swimming, plus delicious coffee and cakes (you can go to the cafe without paying the entrance fee to swim).

We understand that there will be special swimming only membership deals whilst we wait for Warwick Hall, the new Gym, and new Youth Facilities to open later in the year. If you don't see them on the Fusion site (link below) , then call the new manager at Camberwell Baths. His name is Adrian Matthews

http://www.fusion-lifestyle.com/centres/Camberwell_Leisure_Centre

We will also continue the campaign to get funding for the Sports Hall, which needs about £1,097,806 for refurbishment, so watch this space.

There will be a Free Swimming day on March 12 which will be funded by Fusion.

Official Opening Saturday 5 March

Camberwell Baths will have an official opening on Saturday 5 March from about 10.30. More details to follow, but we want this to be a community event , celebrating the culmination of a lot of hard work by local and national politicians of all parties, the officers of Southwark Council as well as everyone in the community of Camberwell.

At this stage, only the pool and cafe will open.

The gym, sports hall, youth facilities and Warwick Hall should follow by May. The Camberwell Baths Campaign is still pressing hard for final funding so that this can be completed, so the fight goes on.

Report of Public Meeting on 3 November

Camberwell Baths Campaign held a Public Meeting on 3 November at 7pm in St Giles Church on Camberwell Church Street. The Rev. Nick George had kindly made the church available, and made sure that it was warm and welcoming for the 150 attendees. There had been widespread publicity for the meeting , with posters all around Camberwell and emails or phone calls to King’s, the IOP, the Salvation Army, Southwark Pensioners, SE5 Forum, local primary and secondary schools, as well as most local Tenant and Residents Associations. The purpose of the meeting was twofold. First, to update the local community on the latest developments, facilities and planned services at Camberwell Baths; second, to make the case to Southwark Executive Council for funding refurbishment of the Second Class Pool area.

Chris Owen, Chair of Camberwell Baths Campaign, opened the meeting with an impassioned speech about the importance of Camberwell Baths to all members of the local community. He strongly encouraged the Executive Council to carry on the torch of support for refurbishment which had been passed on to them from Harriet Harman MP, and Councillor Lewis Robinson, the former Executive Member for Culture, Leisure, Sport and the Olympics.

Councillor Veronica Ward (Executive Member, Culture, Leisure Sport and the Olympics) made a short speech of thanks to the public for attending the meeting, and her support for all of the work which has been completed to date. Councillor Peter John, Leader of Southwark Council then outlined the current financial restraints but presented his strong hope that funds could be secured from a number of sources in addition to the Capital Programme, such as an Olympic legacy fund.

Jay Yeats (Head of Leisure and Wellbeing) showed the meeting images of the new Camberwell facilities will look like, particularly the new pool, gym and café. In response to a question from the floor about any anticipated delays, Jay assured the audience that the building was still on course to open in February 2011.

Patrick Shelley (Head of Young Peoples Services) explained the new youth facilities which would be available as a result of the £576,000 investment by the Southwark Youth Capital Fund. It is planned that there will be a wide variety of leisure and sport activities happening at Camberwell Baths every day of the week, as well as volunteer training opportunities. The new facilities include a music studio, Juice Bar, as well as training rooms.

Fusion representatives were also present at the meeting, and had details of Fusion membership and class costs for Camberwell Baths, which will be the same cost as those at Dulwich Leisure Centre and Peckham Pulse. Churchill Catering had set up a counter displaying some of the fresh food which will be in the new café, and members of the audience availed themselves of the healthy fruit salads and yogurts as well as the delicious cakes which were provided free of charge.

The Executive Council is meeting at on the 23 November to consider Camberwell Baths’ final application for additional funding of £1.75m to complete the job. This would allow refurbishment of the 5 a side football area, specifically the roof which leaks badly. This area would be then become a multi use space for sports (football, badminton), leisure (music and theatrical performances, pop-up cinema, boxing) as well as other performance, arts and civic events, such as Olympics launch events and public meetings.

We hope that they will consider the strong support from the community of Camberwell for a legacy project which will improve the health and wellbeing of us all.

Summary of Funding to date

There seems to be some confusion about the time lines and allocation of funding for Camberwell Baths, so here is the history of what was awarded.

March 2009: £1.4m awarded by central Government's Free Swimming Fund.

May 2009: £1.5m awarded by Southwark Council (match funding), £576K awarded by the Southwark Youth Capital Fund, approx £500K awarded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, approx £500K allocated from section 106 money and other grants

All of the above monies were focused on pool refurbishment and wet side facilities

October 2009: further £500k awarded by Southwark Council to complete the gym and dryside facilities

March 2010: £52K from Cleaner Greener Safer (for Artichoke Place), £100K from London Marathon Charitable Trust (towards Warwick Hall)

October 2010: £50k from Play Sports London Facilities Fund (for gymnastics facilities in Warwick Hall)

The additional funding we are asking Southwark Council to award from the 2010/11 Capital Programmes fund. The funding would allow the completion of Phase 3 and would refurbish the 5 a side football area, specifically the roof which leaks badly. This area would be then be a multi use space for sports (football, badminton etc), leisure (music and theatrical performances, pop-up cinema, other performance arts events) and civic ( Olympics launch events, public meetings).

If the work can be completed in 2011, then Camberwell Leisure Centre will be a fantastic legacy project for the 2012 Olympics.

Public Meeting 3 November 2010

We will be holding a Public Meeting on Wednesday 3 November at 7pm at St Giles Church on Camberwell Church Street. The purpose of the meeting is to show the local community what work has been done so far, and to get their input on another matter. The work at Camberwell Baths is progressing well, but there are currently insufficient funds to complete the refurbishment of the Second Class Pool area (the sunken five a side football space), as well as the rear facade and public spaces at the front and rear of the building.

We hope that the Second Class Pool area could be refurbished for use as a multi-purpose space which can be used for a wide range of leisure activities from a pop-up cinema, to performance space for theatre, music and dance, to public debates, to boxing matches (or whatever else the community would like to see). Camberwell Baths were historically used for a wide variety of different activities beyond sport and swimming. This is an opportunity for a return to Camberwell Baths being a Leisure Centre in the widest sense of the term.

Funds could be made available from Southwark’s Capital Programme fund, which is intended for just this type of project. We would like to encourage the Executive members of the Council as well as our own local councillors to support the completion of the Camberwell Baths project, rather than leave it half finished. Decisions on allocation of the Capital Programme fund will be made in November or December, so the meeting has been called so that local people will have the opportunity to speak to councillors and voice their support.