Pool rules

Your letters page correspondent Mr Belton thought Bicester Leisure Centre’s swimming pool rules are too strict.

He states that asking a five-year-old to swim one length before being allowed in the deep end is “silly”.

I think to not see this minimum capability and yet allow a very young child into deep water would be irresponsible.

If “adults swim lengths; children play games” – they can play in the shallow end.

The deep end of a pool is not the place for a five-year-old to be mucking about.

The child was “made” to swim a length but became “demotivated”.

Dare I say bored and uncooperative?

To use the deep end, he needed to show he could swim one length, not an unreasonable request from the people charged with his safety while using their pool.

But why should he follow rules when his grandfather encourages him to regard them as “silly”? There may be trouble ahead… Mr Belton complains about being told off for allowing his grandson to jump in and swim under a float.

He needs to remember that not every child is a water baby, some dread being splashed and jostled by thoughtless others, who jump in next to them, spring up from under water and generally make their pool-time not fun but frightening.

“It was like he was under constant surveillance” – isn’t that rather the point of the lifeguards?

Perhaps he would prefer a lifeguard who nips out for a quick coffee to one who watches what is going on?

My children are learning to swim at Bicester pool, where, tellingly, there’s a waiting list for supervised lessons and their confidence has grown in leaps and bounds under the encouragement of the fantastic staff.

Well done to the teachers and lifeguards.

C. Murfitt (Mrs), Middleton Stoney Road, Bicester