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Please find attached here a letter sent recently by Sir Keir Starmer QC MP to the Chair of the Hampstead Heath Management Committee, Anne Fairweather and the Heath Superintendent, Bob Warnock. This letter follows detailed discussions between his constituency office and the current and former Chairs of the KLPA (Ruth Hallgarten and Nicky Mayhew respectively). Many other KLPA members who live in his constituency, which includes Hampstead Heath, have also been in contact with their MP. The attached letter outlines the case made by the KLPA and the other swimmers’ associations in favour of charging “Option 2” during the “consultation” process earlier this year:Encouragement of a culture of payment by those who can afford to payMore efficient payment collection by the City of LondonNo exclusion of those who cannot afford to payMembers of the KLPA and other swimmers’ associations have been in contact with their local MPs, London Assembly Members and Councillors.  We have seen correspondence from David Lammy MP (Tottenham) which was supportive of our cause and would welcome copies of replies that KLPA members may have received from their own representatives. This targeted approach to local elected representatives is important given the anti-democratic process which led to the City of London enforcing and dramatically increasing charges to swim at the bathing ponds with effect from 11 July 2020 (“Option 3”). To all of those members who have written to the City of London and to their local representatives we want to say thank you, and keep up the good work.

City of London Fact – The Hampstead Heath Management Committee which decided to enforce and increase swimming charges has at least two members who were “elected” unopposed to the City of London Corporation.  One of those who had no competition for her seat in 2017 (Tower Ward) was Anne Fairweather who chairs the Committee.  This means that nobody voted for her.  Who are such members accountable to?

The Ladies’ Pond accessible shower, held together for so long with duct tape.

A significant part of the KLPA’s campaign against the new charging regime at the ponds, and objections to the current on-line booking system, has been about access and inclusivity. We believe that the increased and enforced charges are excluding many regular pond swimmers, who had come to regard the Ladies’ Pond as a place of sanctuary. Since the City of London started to plan for re-opening of the ponds, from May 2020, we have been asking Heath Management for a copy of an updated Equality Impact Assessment. This is a legal requirement and should have been produced at the start of the planning process.  For weeks we received delaying responses stating that they were very busy and were “working on it” but just over three weeks ago we were informed that Heath Management now believe that a full assessment is not necessary.  The City of London is a public body with a Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), which includes a responsibility to eliminate discrimination and advance equality of opportunity. The new booking arrangements at the Ladies’ Pond risk excluding many women with “protected characteristics” under the 2010 Equality Act. The City cannot delegate its PSED responsibilities to volunteer led groups like the KLPA. Ad hoc arrangements, such as phoning around swimmers who are known to Heath management, are also not sufficient. The booking system itself needs to be accessible and transparent. We asked the City of London to publicise more widely the phone number for swimmers who cannot access on-line bookings, to improve accessibility. They did not reply to this repeated request. Since the ponds and Lido re-opened on 11 July 2020 the swimming slots available have increased to 15,000 per week (over 2,000 per day). According to the City’s own figures, during this time, they have only managed to help book about 100 swim sessions over the phone. This is a tiny proportion of the overall lucrative sale of swim sessions. The phone number has however become more widely known. It is only intended for swimmers who cannot access online bookings, and should not be abused by others. It will only be answered from 9-11am each day, with the facility to leave messages:   020 7332 3779 If you know any swimmers who might have difficulty with the online booking system, please let them know about this number so that they can make their own bookings independently.

4 August was the day Mrs Newbie came back home to Hampstead. Her wound is still healing but is nicely scabbed over and her feathers are now starting to grow back, so she was given the All Clear from the wonderful veterinary staff at The Swan Sanctuary. Her partner Wallace has been the most perfect father over the past three weeks, so attentive, so caring, always making sure that everyone is accounted for and so yesterday, Mrs Newbie returned to all seven happy, healthy cygnets.

Yesterday the whole family happily explored their pond together. Thank you to the Rangers on Hampstead Heath who did a fabulous job of fencing off the area in the pond where the dog attack occurred, and have put a small fence boundary around the dog swim area. Huge thanks to the team at Swan Support for their phenomenal help in rescuing Mrs Newbie three weeks ago.

The KLPA has been informed by the chair of another Heath swimmers’ association, the Highgate Lifebuoys, that a Twitter account was set up in the association’s name and used to post abusive content about Heath staff.  The account was reported and taken down.  The Highgate Lifebuoys do not use Twitter or other social media so any account claiming to represent the association is doing so fraudulently.

At present, the KLPA has no formal social media presence, although we know that many women use social media to share their love of the pond. There is a large Facebook group used by many of our members, that is responsibly moderated, but is not controlled by or part of the KLPA. Please note that any social media account claiming to represent the KLPA officially is misleading and we would be grateful if you could let us know if you spot any such activity.

The KLPA and the other swimmers’ associations on the Heath condemn any abuse of Heath staff (or anyone else). We believe in holding the City of London Corporation to account and we encourage our members to engage in constructive criticism of decisions by Heath management where appropriate via HH-Swimming@cityoflondon.gov.uk However, no one should fear personal abuse in the workplace, including comments made via social media.

Some of you have been fortunate enough to book a swim, and we hope you have enjoyed this.  Many who would like to return to the Ladies’ Pond cannot do so.  Numbers have been limited in the initial “post-Covid” recovery period for reasons which are understandable.  However, the current booking system is excluding many swimmers who have been part of the Ladies’ Pond community for years.

Please remember these excluded swimmers, some of whom fear that they may never be able to return to what was once an inclusive sanctuary.  If you are lucky enough to get a ticket please do make sure you use it as we are hearing about significant numbers of no-shows each day.  Also if you are using social media to tell friends about your recent swim at the Ladies’ Pond please be tactful and consider those who are desperate for a swim,

In another piece of good news we have also been informed that the blue-green algae levels are currently low, which should make that swim even more pleasant.

City of London fact – the decision to increase and enforce charges was taken by a sub-committee of the City of London Corporation on 11 March 2020.  Twelve of its 18 members are “elected” directly in Ward elections by the tiny electorate of the Square Mile.  A further six committee members are not elected but co-opted from other organisations.  How is this committee accountable to the thousands of people who use Hampstead Heath regularly during the year?

To get a sense of the history of the the City of London Corporation’s past dealings with Heath swimmers, we recommend watching City Swimmers, a film directed by swimmer and KLPA life member Margaret Dickinson. 

In 2005 the KLPA went into battle with the City of London when there was an attempt to close the Mixed Pond entirely and impose entrance charges at the remaining two bathing ponds.  An earlier generation of KLPA members campaigned to stop this happening and they are our inspiration now in 2020.  A vigorous campaign by those swimmers succeeded in keeping all the ponds open but, in spite of opposition, the Corporation did introduce charges in 2005, with assurances that they would remain modest and be lightly enforced. 

This balance was destroyed earlier this year.  In March 2020, the unprecedented decision of the Hampstead Heath Management Committee to disregard the recommendation of its own Consultative Committee and introduce strictly enforced charges at double the previous rate launched a new era of controversy and protest. A summary of the recent background can be read here. 

Details of our campaign to oppose the most recent charging decisions can be seen here and recent news items can be found by scrolling down here.

We hope you will watch this film and be inspired by the women who saw off the threats posed by the City of London Corporation in 2005.

Swan Rescue volunteer Louisa Green reports that the severely injured mother swan from Highgate Number One Pond is recovering well (she can be seen second from the right with a green tag). She is now in an outdoor pen with a pool (known as an en suite!) while Wallace, her mate, continues to care for their cygnets.

Photographer and Ladies’ Pond swimmer Ruth Corney’s new book celebrating 20 years of the pond from 2000-2020 is now available to order from her website. Check it out at https://www.awtf.org/ruth to see many familiar faces and views:

Also available is Two Metres, the book about lockdown in Camden that Ruth has produced with CNJ journalist Dan Carrier.

The proceeds from both books will go to the Alexandra Wylie Tower foundation (www.awtf.org) a charity dedicated to supporting young people in London.

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Rescue photograph: Ron Vester

Swan Sanctuary volunteer and KLPA member Louisa Green, who told us the moving story of the swans on Highgate Number One Pond earlier this year, has sent us this less happy update and appeal for witnesses.

It is with great sadness that I can confirm that Mrs Newbie, the former widow swan on Hampstead Heath who recently found love at The Swan Sanctuary in March, was attacked by a dog at around 4.30pm on Monday 13 July 2020. She has sustained a very serious injury to her left wing and is currently undergoing treatment at The Swan Sanctuary. The incident was witnessed and the relevant details have been passed on to the City of London Corporation Hampstead Heath, who are conducting their own investigation and appealing for further witnesses. Can I please request that anyone with information please contact hampstead.heath@cityoflondon.gov.uk,  lgreen2891@gmail.com or Crime Stoppers if you prefer. 

Across ten stressful hours over Monday and Tuesday evening with three swan ambulances, seven rescuers from two organisations and three kayaks, Mrs Newbie was finally caught by Steve from Swan Support. This was incredibly distressing for all involved, as ultimately she was gently chased around the pond for the best part of an hour until she was too tired to carry on any longer. This was the only remaining tactic we could deploy, as by this point her injury was 24 hours old and we simply had to do anything we could to catch her. Her and Wallace were calling to each other from across the pond throughout, and the cygnets were frantically scattering before retreating to the safety of their nest.

Once caught, Gill Walker and I took Mrs Newbie to The Swan Sanctuary where her wound was examined and she received antibiotics and pain relief. Once her wound had been dressed and she was placed in a pen, she immediately called for Wallace. We are hopeful that she will recover but it is too soon to make a prediction at this stage and as with all dog bites, our main worry is infection. Her mate Wallace remains in Hampstead at this time and is currently looking after their seven cygnets. I am keeping a close eye on them all, but Wallace is no doubt eagerly awaiting her return and the cygnets are undoubtedly wondering where their Mum is.

Mrs Newbie had been alone on Hampstead Heath since the tragic death of her mate in 2016. Following the arrival of a new swan pair to the Heath this Spring, she left her pond and landed on a neighbouring roof which overlooks the block of flats that Mr Newbie crashed into and died four years ago. She was taken to The Swan Sanctuary for 36 hours of recuperation where she met Wallace, who was recovering from surgery to remove two fishing hooks back in January. After knocking back every potential suitor for four years, something about him must have caught her eye and the pair have been inseparable ever since. Ten weeks after they were brought to her pond in Hampstead, they welcomed seven cygnets and is it therefore heartbreaking that she is now spending time away from her new family.

A devastating interlude to what has been a national and heart-warming story from day one.

http://www.swansupport.org.uk

http://www.theswansanctuary.org.uk