Diving boards in a Haringey sports complex have been renovated for over £50k, in the hope of encouraging young people to pick up sports.
The renovations to Park Road Pools and Fitness were funded by Divegym, Haringey Aquatics Club and Haringey Council.
The renovations included new boards that were unveiled on July 29, the same day Tom Daley won his fifth Olympic medal in men’s synchronised diving.
Cllr Emily Arkell, Haringey Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure, said: “Over the next few weeks and we hope that lots of young people will be inspired by Tom Daley and his GB diving team-mates in Paris and that they’ll take up the opportunity here in Parks Road Pools to learn to dive.”
The funders also addressed the lack of opportunities that London provide to aspiring divers.
Haringey Aquatics Club chairman David Skinner said: “With so few diving facilities remaining in London, the importance of the refurbishment work cannot be understated in terms of promoting access and opportunity at a grassroots level.”
A survey conducted by London Sport also found that in 2023, leisure centres in the capital had to either increase prices or cut costs to survive.
The same study also found that half of Londoners surveyed would feel negatively impacted if their local swimming pool closed or if its hours were reduced.
They also agreed that public pools help people in their local communities to keep connected.
Image credit: Haringey Council
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