1. Events and developments at Clapton Library including talk by Ken Worpole, 22 April.

Clapton Library is seeing something of a revival after nearly closing last year. The Clapton Library Users Group will be leading substantial redevelopment at the library and have been asked to come up with proposals by the Council. They will be working with a consultant and fully consulting with the community around July 2003. Contact  davidvail@blueyonder.co.uk if you wish to get involved.

In the meantime the Users Group is organising some events at the library - see below. The first is a talk, by local author and commentator on urban and social issues, Ken Worpole, on libraries - food for thought before the library is developed. See below for details of this and the other events.

Spaces, Places & Libraries in Clapton and Beyond: A series of talks and displays in Clapton Library on libraries, local open spaces and the built environment.

April - June 2003 Clapton Library, Northwold Road, E5

Libraries: Past, Present and Future Tuesday 22 April, 7.30pm
An illustrated talk by Ken Worpole Ken Worpole is one of Britain's most influential writers on urban and social policy and has lived in Stoke Newington for more than 30
years.

His particular concerns are the quality of contemporary urban life, new forms of civil society, the planning and design of urban landscapes and institutions which support more convivial forms of democracy, as well as the pleasures of life in the open-air. In 1995 he published Libraries in a World of Cultural Change with Liz Greenhalgh – the first independent study of the public library network in Britain for more than 50 years.

Open Spaces around Clapton Thursday 15 May, 7.30pm
Speakers will talk about Abney Park Cemetery, Springfield Park and Hackney Marshes and the projects carried out to enhance our local natural environment.

With Karen Byers, Abney Park Cemetery Trust; Annie Chipchase, London Wildlife Trust; and Anne Woollett, Hackney Environment Forum.

In conjunction with this talk there will be a walk from Hackney Marshes to Springfield Park on Monday 19 May from 7pm, led by members of the Hackney Marsh Users Group. The walk will explore the wildlife and geography of the marshes and parkland. Meet 7pm at Marshgate Bridge at the junction of Homerton Road and the Lea Navigation (buses 236, 276 and W15). The walk will be led by members of the Hackney Marsh Users Group and will explore the wildlife and geography of the marshes and parkland. It will end around 9pm.

Historic Clapton: Buildings at Risk Thursday 26 June, 7.30pm
Speakers will discuss historic buildings in the Clapton area, buildings at risk and preservation projects (e.g the Clapton Portico, the Round Chapel).
Organised with the Hackney Society.

With Maeve Melvin on Buildings at Risk (Buildings at Risk Officer, London Borough of Hackney); Ann Robey on The Round Chapel (Director of Hackney Historic Buildings Trust); Gary Butler on Pond House (Butler and Hegarty Architects); Angela Brady on The Clapton Portico, (Brady and Mallalieu Architects).

All events are free. Refreshments will be provided.

Clapton Library is on Northwold Road, E5 (near Upper Clapton Road) and is open Mondays Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9am to 8pm and on Fridays from 10am to 8pm.

Clapton Library: 020 8356 2570
Clapton Library Users Group (David Vail): 020 8442 4324
 davidvail@blueyonder.co.uk

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2. Haggerston Pool Email Bulletin

POOL MEETING
Next Haggerston Pool Meeting will be at 7pm on April 10th - Venue Haggerston Community Centre which is at 179 Haggerston Road .
Discussion and more info about all issues below.

THE STORY SO FAR
Lots of new people in the email group and mailing list - so here is the basic information again. The pool was closed in February 2000 following a council health and safety check - just before Hackney council signed a contract with a private contractor to take over the running of Hackney's swimming pools. Estimates for restoring the pool and making the rest of the building available for community use
vary up to £8 million - and the swimming pool will need a subsidy each year of about £250,000.

Pool campaigners have been active for 4 years trying to keep swimming facilities in the baths. We meet once a month - see above. We have been meeting with the Council, Shoreditch New Deal, English Heritage to look at a joint solution for the future of the baths. Shoreditch New Deal have funded business planners (Strategic Leisure from Manchester) to do an initial business plan which should
be ready soon - see below.

Lots more information on the website - w.haggerstonpool.com
including the previous news bulletins and the wish list written by swimmers when the baths were threatened.

CANDLE LIT VIGIL
Pool campaigners held a candle lit vigil outside the baths on March 18th to mark the 100 years since the foundation stone for the pool was laid. Fifty people turned up with candles and banners and stood by the foundation stone, and explained to passers by about the state of the pool. Nice picture and spread in the Hackney Gazette last week.

SCHOOL SWIMMING
As reported in the last bulletin, The Learning Trust has carried out an analysis of school swimming in the South Hackney area. Ten local schools said they would definitely use Haggerston pool if it was open, and 3 more said they possibly would. Four schools said that more than 70% children left unable to swim the National Curriculum standard of 25 meters - and six more schools said they
did not know how many children met the standard.

Following this the Learning Trust are carrying out more detailed research into the state of swimming in Hackney's schools.

The Pool Users group is writing letters to highlight this issue - a pro-forma letter will be available at the next pool meeting.

BUSINESS PLANNERS
The business planners (Strategic Leisure funded by Shoreditch New Deal) continue to look at ways of funding the restoration of Haggerston Baths. Their report was due to be be ready next week
when there was to be public consultation. Dates have now slipped - more information when we have it.

SHOREDITCH NEIGHBOURHOOD COMMITTEE
Hackney's new neighbourhood committees (4 in the borough) started meeting before Christmas for residents to be able put their views to councillors in a public forum. Pool campaigners met with the officers from the Shoreditch Neighbourhood Committee to put their concerns about the future of the swimming pool and the state of
school swimming.

The future of Haggerston Pool will be on the agenda for the next public meeting of the Shoreditch Neighbourhood Committee which will be on June 12th.

THE DRAWING ROOM
A new gallery is opening up in the artists studios in the building directly behind Haggerston Pool. The gallery - called The Drawing Room - is planning to have exhibitions as well as doing projects involving local people - particularly children and young people.
There is a plan for a project about Haggerston
Pool starting in the autumn.

LONDON FIELDS LIDO
The proposals for the re-opening of London Field Lido remain in discussion. The Environment Trust has put in a proposal to Hackney Council to cover the lido for year round swimming and install gym facilities. The cost has risen to £1.25 million as it has been discovered that the pool will have to be re-lined.

POOLS CAMPAIGN
The London Pools Campaign now involves 11 pool campaigns across London - including Haggerston Pool, London Fields Lido and York Hall Baths. We are having discussions with Sport England about funding for a co-ordinator to support the campaigns and look at London wide funding and strategy for London's swimming.

With best wishes from Liz Hughes Haggerston Pool Community Trust

If you would like to receive these bulletins (by email or post) :
Contacts :  pool@hced.co.uk Phone : 0207 690 6662 Write to : Liz Hughes, Haggerston Pool Community Trust c/o HCD, 62 Beechwood Road, London E8 3DY

3. HEF/Eco-ACTIVE Public Forum - Re-vitalising local economics and neighbourhood shops - 29 April

7.30-9.30pm at Rhodes Estate Tenants Hall, Laurel St, off Dalston Lane E8.
Invited speakers from the New Economics Foundation, Chatsworth Road, Market Campaign, Hackney LETS, Hackney Council.

Free, all welcome