Warm summer weather brings crowds out to Lido

ALDERSHOT Lido opened daily last week as hundreds of people took advantage of the warm weather to use the facility in what could be its last summer in its present form.

Having opened

daily on July 1, the lido had been visited 763 times by the end of Sunday and numbers are expected to rocket once the schools break up for the summer.

A hot June this year meant there were 1,948 visits – up 555 on June last year. Improving figures for July 2013 will be tough, as visits jumped from 9,700 in 2012 to 29,967 during the same 2013 month, but Rushmoor Borough Council’s principal contracts manager Ashley Sharpe said he was hopeful of a similar stellar performance this summer.

“We haven’t has decent weekend weather yet,” he said. “The nice days have been during the week and the schools haven’t closed.

“Last year, when it was good it was very good. We probably got those figures over a very short space of time.”

The lido is run on behalf of the council by DC Leisure.

Due to a gradual decline in visitor numbers, a number of redevelopment options are currently being considered for the facility, including replacing it with a splash pad, adding mini golf facilities, a playground, jacuzzi, a heated pool or a roof over the outdoor pool. Detailed plans are being drawn up this summer after the council's cabinet members approved spending of £25,000 on Tuesday to examine these options and launch a further period of consultation.