Final Major Project: Visit to Templemore Sports Complex Leisure Centre, Derry

I visited Templemore Sports Complex during the week to inquire about their swimming pool facilities. I have been to the Pool millions of times as it is the one that is closest to my house and I definitly feel that there is alot of room for improvement. The surrounding areas such as Gallaigh, Shantallow, Pennyburn, Ballymac, Foyle Springs etc house have the City and to have poor facilities such as these is simply unacceptable. The Leisure centre is simply past its sell by date and is in serious need of a makeover.

During my visit I spoke to a member of staff in the Templemore Sports Complex, Paula Armstrong. Ahe was extremely helpful and very pleasent.
Although it was clear to the both of us that the pool facilities were poor and dated, she was suprisingly optimistic about the pool listing its benefits as being cheap and cheerful, a great sized pool for school swimming and teaching and having an extremely vast customer base including even people from over the boarder.
Paula was able to inform me that the pool has quite alot of history and is roughly 30 years old. When I spoke about the pool in comparison to others, she informed me that Antrim Forum Leisure centre pool was actually the exact same size and layout as the complex pool origionally and built around the same time. Since then, Antrim forum pool has been re-designed and updated. They have included features for kids such as slides and fun water activities and also have communial changing rooms. They also have a health suite/spa which has pool facilities for adults also, which i feel is extremely 'with the times'. Considering Antrim is alot smaller than Derry and houses less than have the population, I think it is pretty unbelievable that Antrim's pool has been updated and Derry's has not. When looking online about these two pools, there is alot more information on Antrim's pool than there is Derry's, which again, suprises me.
When I asked Paula who she felt the main users of the swimming pool were, she said it wasn't necessarily families but a diverse range of people. She felt that parents normally depended on swimming clubs and swimming lessons to teach their children how to swim. In her experience, she also felt that alot of parents fear the water and so don't feel comfortable taking their children swimming.
Paula stated that children under 5 and old age pensioners were able to use the pool for free and so that should encourage quite alot of people to go, but it doesn't appear too.
I asked Paula about any family bonding time currently offered but she said they don't offer it during the winter months but they do have designated family time all summer.
I then asked Paula what improvements, if any, she would make to the pool if she could. She replied by stating that you only need to look at things the pool has missed throughout the years to know the answer to that, for example, Flumes, Wave Pools, or any sort of fun activities for kids.
Families don't seem to go to Templemore sports complex as first preference. Mostly, they would prefer to ventre to other pools around the north with better facilities.

My pictures of Templemore Sports complex