Over the past few days we have seen unprecedented demand for the pool.

Since last week over 1,930 people have registered on the web site. 

We have received over 1,000 emails with queries.

All this activity has caused us to have some serious problems with the web site and with Internet Service Provider.

Our volunteer support team have been inundated with emails and calls.

This has resulted in frustrations for many of you trying to book swim slots. However, we would ask you all to be patient. It is taking a quite a bit of time for confirmation emails to come out, so please do not contact us if you have not received a confirmation email after a few minutes. Check your booking history on the Pool Timetable page. Your ticket will also be there as well.

Please help us to help you.

Thanks

This morning our team of lifeguards finalised their training ready for Monday's opening to the general public. 

We are looking forward to seeing our visitors for the first time in this very disrupted season. 

Demand for using the pool has been unprecedented with over one thousand  people now registered on our web site booking system .

We are happy to announce that Cirencester Open Air Pool will be reopening on Monday 20th July!

We are looking forward to welcoming our visitors back to our pool. However,  before we do, please make sure you read about the social distancing measures that will be in place for the season.

To comply with government guidelines, we will be operating on the basis that there will be no more than 30 people (excluding lifeguards and support staff) on the pool premises at any one time.

For the foreseeable future you will now be required to book all sessions using our booking system (see Pool Timetable). We have a number of different types of session which are detailed below.

Individual Sessions

An individual slot is for one person for 1 hour on site. This 1 hour includes your swim, time to change and any time you wish to spend on site, including at the ‘Tuck Shop’. Please come ready to swim to ensure you get plenty of time in the pool.

There will be 2 types of individual session slots:

1. Fitness Swimming: where the pool will be divided into lanes and only lane swimming will be allowed.
2. General Swimming: where there will be one lane for lane swimming and the rest of the pool as open swimming(you must respect other swimmers by social distancing in this area)

Each hour there will 3 slots 20 mins apart i.e. (9:00, 9:20, 9:40). Each slot can be booked by up to 10 people.

Family Sessions

Family sessions are for 2 or more people including at least one adult and one child. A family session is for two hours. This includes your swim, time to change and any time you wish to spend on site. All children must be supervised by a responsible adult while in the water.

Inclusive Swim

The 1 hour Inclusive Swim for up to 12 people will be on Sunday morning. This is for swimmers who have specific needs (i.e. Autism, Hearing Loss, Anxiety Parkinson’s Disease etc.) Please do not book this session unless you qualify. If you do book and do not qualify, you will not be admitted, and you will not be refunded

Aqua Aerobics

There will be Aqua Aerobic sessions twice a week for up to 20 people. Your instructor will give you time to get ready before the session and get changed after the session, so please arrive at the allotted time.

Please note that there will be no spectator tickets available this year.

Booking

All swim slots will have to be pre-booked and pre-paid for, there will be NO admission at the gate. You must book your ticket at least 1 hour in advance. Before you can book you will have to create an account on the web site. If you have not already done so, please go to the Home Page and create an account. Note: Season ticket holders have already had their accounts set up.

To set up an account you will have to provide your name and email address and a password. Once submitted you will get an email with your account details
Once you have created an account you log in using the email address and the password you supplied. Then you can go to the Pool Timetable and book a swim slot.
During the booking process you will need to supply your details and details of any other people coming with you i.e. your children. You will also have to provide us with a mobile number. This number will only be used in case we have to contact you if we find someone who was in the pool site with you at the same time has reported that they have had Covid symptoms or a positive test.

Once you have booked you will receive an email with your ticket, invoice and terms and conditions of entry. Please read these T&C’s carefully.
Please do not book more than one slot per person, per day. We only have limited slots and would like to give as many people as possible the opportunity to use the pool.

Payment

We can only accept payment by credit or debit card. If you have a PayPal account, you can use that also. Please note: We do not store your credit card or PayPal details on our web site.

Pool Arrival

You should arrive at the pool as close to the start of your allotted slot as possible. When you arrive at the pool, please queue up on the footpath outside until a member of staff comes to notify you.

You should bring with you a copy of your ticket either on paper or on your mobile device. This is required to allow entry into the pool.
If you arrive late, your time on site will not be extended.

When you arrive you and any members of your party will be given a coloured wristband which you must wear at all times.
Please arrive at the pool ready for your swim (We recommend wearing your swimming attire under your clothes). You may use the lockers on site or leave your belongings on the pool side. Toilets will be available, but changing rooms not be available until the end of your swim.

Leaving The Pool

The lifeguards will notify you 15 minutes before the end of your session to give you time to finish your swim and get changed. You must leave the pool at the end of your session time and drop your wristband in the bucket to be sanitised.
Changing rooms and limited showers will be available when leaving the premises. Hairdryers will not be available.

Season Tickets

We are also offering discounted season tickets and options for those who have already purchased a season ticket. These can be good value if you wish to use the pool on a regular basis. Please go to Season Tickets page

We look forward to welcoming you back to the pool very soon!
Kind Regards,
The Cirencester Open Air Pool Team

Another brief update to let you know that the pool committee continues to explore how best we can open under the current guidelines; keeping pool users, staff and volunteers as safe as we can. We can’t add any detail at this moment and expect further guidelines for pools in mid-June.

If you have any suggestions or comments, please direct these via our Contact Page:

We won’t be able to respond individually but welcome your input.

Further updates will be sent out via the newsletter and social media.

Our ' Pool Angels' have been busy over the the weekend getting the pool ready for when we are able to open. David Wright (Chief Pool Angel) and the rest of the pool angels have been hard at work getting things ready with lots of power washing , scrubbing, fixing and weeding after the winter, there is some weeding left to be done.  The pool fill takes about 3 days.

It’s taken a bit longer this year due to the current circumstances but all involved were kept safe

A big thanks to our new honorary Pool Angels

This week the Sam Krayem-Wood from the Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard has written an article on the 150 years of our pool, delving into the paper's archives. Read the article here Celebrating 150 years of Cirencester Open Air Swimming Pool.

The annual pool clean has started!

Even though we unfortunately will not be opening as planned on the 21st May, the pool still needs emptying and a thorough deep clean after being left all winter. This started this week.

The next steps will be to fill the pool, add any necessary chemicals to make sure the water stays clean and healthy. This will put us in the position to get pool ready ready for visitors as soon as we get the go-ahead. 

A big thank you to our 'Pool Angels', David and Marcus for all your hard work!

While we still hope to open the pool this Summer, due to the current Covid-19 situation at this point in time we cannot yet predict when this will be.
We will keep you informed of developments, as and when we can regarding the opening of our pool.
Thank you for your understanding.