Portishead Open Air Swimming Pool
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Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’s Ty Pennington returns to the UK for what promises to be his biggest British adventure yet.
Responding to a plea for help from the beleaguered town of Portishead, Ty embarks on a mission to rebuild their much loved open air swimming pool. Devastated by the council’s decision to close the pool last year, locals have been lobbying rigorously to get their pool back and, after months of campaigning, their wish has finally been granted. There’s only one problem – they need to reopen the dilapidated pool in May and there’s months of work to be done!
Enter Ty who takes up the challenge and promises to help the locals in a race against time to get the massive project completed in only seven days and within budget. It’s a big job – the pool needs to be cleared of debris, the changing rooms transformed, a children’s wet play area installed, solar heating fitted, the place redecorated and, just to add some extra pressure, the pool takes seven days to fill and heat. Will Ty rally the community in time so that future generations can have their own cherished memories of swimming in the sun?
An important part of the transformation was a heat retention cover and reel system that was manufactured and installed by Plastica. A significant reduction in ongoing heating bills is vital for the Lido’s future. Following a campaign to keep the pool open, the council handed it over to a community Trust to run. The Trust was keen to find a cover that provided a variety of benefits including a considerable reduction in energy costs, ease of use, quality and strength to ensure it lasts for many years to come.
Plastica stepped up to help the project and the challenge of creating a bespoke solution for the 12.7m x 33.5m Lido at short notice. The pool is just 40 metres from the sea at high tide, so Plastica provided its top of the range Superflex 6mm cover with a UV stabilised coating and a bench reel system. In addition, Plastica supplied a wind wire system to ensure that the cover stays anchored down in harsh weather.
The cover features Plastica’s handmade, fully sealed and foam-filled leading edge which will assist with the ease of use of the system, as well as assisting with buoyancy and longevity. Steve Smith, UK Sales Manager, said “Our product will meet the Lido’s need for a strong cover. All the edges of the cover are hemmed to prevent fraying and we weld the seams lengthways to ensure that they are not strained when it is reeled in and out.”
The Portishead Pool Community Trust applied for a grant to install an energy saving pool cover. Last year some swimmers had to resort to wearing wetsuits in the heated pool because water temperatures were so low.
In an interview Trust chairman Roger Whitfield said: "I cannot underestimate the importance of the pool cover, it is without doubt the single most important energy saving device we will install and it really will make the difference between success and failure.
"There are many reasons why the pool has been cold, not least the cost of the heating oil that has increased steadily year on year, but above all the main reason for a cold pool is a lack of overnight insulation.
"The lack of a pool cover means that the energy put into the pool during the day is lost again at night, so without it we will have to constantly burn oil overnight to maintain water temperature.
"However with a pool cover in place the pool will retain more than 80 per cent of the heat that would normally be lost."
Ty's Great British Adventure is on UKTV Home Sky channel 246 Virgin TV 265 Top up TV 26 click here to find out more about the show
Links
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