Who remembers the brilliant sundial and murals painted by the super talented Broomhill Pool Lifeguard, Stu Fitzpatrick?
Stu writes: “Here’s a photo of me painting my design of a sundail flowers in pot in the pool’s courtyard area just through the main reception. I produced this when I was working there in 1993. The idea was that the sundial user stood on the pot and the sun would cast their shadow up the stem of the flower which displayed the current time. I created this to reduce the amount times I was asked the time by children”
Against the backdrop of Fusion Lifestyle entering administration, the interview provides the present status and overview, plus future outlook for the Broomhill Pool restoration project.
Please click on Listen Again link below for today (Friday). Interview is from 00:22 to 00:32 mins.
What would make Ipswich a place you’d want to stay or come back to?
In one sentence: what do you want Ipswich to be known for?
If you had one wish for Ipswich’s future, what would it be?
What makes Ipswich feel like a good place to live or not?
“Ipswich is thinking about its future – how it feels to live here, what people can take part in, and how creativity shows up in everyday life. We’re working on a long-term Cultural Strategy to shape our cultural offer, and we’ve also put our name forward for City of Culture.
“This survey is a chance to have your say. What you share will help make sure plans for Ipswich are shaped by local voices, and that any City of Culture bid is stronger because it’s rooted in real experiences, not just big ideas.
“You don’t need to be “into culture” to take part, we’re interested in everyday life, creativity in all its forms, and what Ipswich means to you.
“What do we mean by culture and creativity? We mean whatever it means to you. It could be art, music, sport, food, fashion, gaming, street life, history, language, making things, caring for others, telling stories, online spaces, or something else entirely.
“There are no right answers. We want to understand how Ipswich feels, looks and works from your point of view. You can answer about Ipswich as a whole or focus on a specific place, space, or experience that means a lot to you.
While the New Wolsey Theatre is facilitating the survey, all responses will be securely transferred to and analysed by the Ipswich Cultural Strategy team and the Ipswich City of Culture team. Your data will be stored and processed in line with UK Data Protection Policy by Ipswich Central, and will be used solely for this purpose. The Ipswich City of Culture 2029 Company and the Cultural Strategy Team will also use this data in accordance with these same data protection standards.
The report summarises the outcomes of 206 community submissions, highlighting the suggestions and priorities identified by local people. Jack Abbott MP is sharing these findings to guide Ipswich Borough Council in making strategic, evidence-based decisions that reflect local needs and aspirations
“A number of responses, there was a strong desire to see heritage-led recreation, such as the Broomhill Lido“.
“Broomhill Lido & Heritage Leisure: Within the responses referencing this re-development, there was a profound emotional attachment to the Broomhill Lido. Residents view its restoration not just as a leisure project, but as a restoration of civic pride.
“The Logic: Respondents argued that by combining the Pride in Place fund with existing restoration efforts, the Council can secure a “heritage jewel” that acts as a major regional summer attraction, bringing tourism back into the town’s periphery.
Read the full Pride in Place report to explore the ideas and priorities shared by residents that will help shape Ipswich’s future: http://www.jackabbott.org/pride-in-place
Features Broomhill Pool Trust President, Mike Read MBE (Channel Swimmer and Masters World Champion at 84 years young).
ITV’s This Morning Programme: World’s Fittest Grandparents/ Broadcast on 06/03/26
They’re the golden oldies proving that age is just a number. 91-year-old Peter is still bouncing and winning trampoline gold medals despite being a great grandfather; grandmother Sarah is still breaking running records as the world’s fastest 75-year-old woman; and 84-year-old Michael has swum the Channel 33 times and continues to put his breast stroke forward. They’re here to tell us about their senior herculean efforts.
The Broomhill Pool clock is ticking. 22 months to save the ONLY unrestored LISTED LIDO IN BRITAIN*.
Planning consent for the approved scheme, design, will expire 11 Dec 2027.
Unless spades are on the ground and this scheme is in progress by then, the £250,000 development costs so far will be lost. A twice approved The National Lottery Heritage Fund grant (of £6.8m) will be lost for Ipswich Borough Council and citizens of our town.
*There are 20 listed public lidos in Britain. Only Ipswich’s Grade II listed Broomhill Pool remains derelict and at real risk of being lost.
Image (C) Dave Thompson design. Available to buy online.
Campaigners fear plans to breathe new life into an abandoned outdoor swimming pool will unravel if work does not get under way soon.
The Grade II listed Broomhill Lido in Ipswich first opened its doors to hardy swimmers in the 1930s but was shut in 2002.
Plans to restore it have failed to get off the ground, and last year the National Lottery Heritage Fund withdrew nearly £7m in funding for the project.
But Mark Ling, chairman of Broomhill Pool Trust, still holds out hope that the pool will reopen, and he said it would be “scandalous” if the project was shelved.
“Our concern is if works are not in progress by December 2027, the planning permission will expire and everything then unravels,” he told the BBC.
“We are not lido fundamentalists. We are here because we believe this scheme makes absolute sense – it’s good for taxpayers and it puts Ipswich on the map.”
The National Lottery Heritage Fund joined forces with Ipswich Borough Council and Fusion Lifestyle in an attempt to save the lido about eight years ago.
It pledged £3.8m to the project in 2018 and a further £3m in 2023, while the local authority vowed to inject £3.3m.
Permission for the restoration was most recently approved in December 2024 and work was scheduled to start last year, with a view to the pool reopening this year.
But last summer the council said Fusion Lifestyle had been “unable to provide assurances about their financial position”.
The authority said it raised concerns and brought “into question their ability to deliver the project”. The lottery fund then pulled out.
The move plunged the future of the pool into doubt, with the next 22 months now likely to be make-or-break, according to Ling.
“Everything is in place, so we need to move ahead to make it happen, because public money is at stake and it would be scandalous if that was lost,” he added.
“One of the finest lidos in Britain is sitting here doing nothing, so we need to make sure Ipswich does not lose out on this tremendous opportunity.”
Broomhill Lido closed in 2002 and has since been left abandoned
Council leader Neil MacDonald said the authority remained “committed to the restoration of the much-treasured lido” and to finding “a new way forward”.
“The council’s £3.3m financial contribution for the project remains ringfenced for the restoration,” he added.
“There are a number of legal and procedural matters currently being resolved with the team that was working on the project.
“Once resolved, the council can start working with funders who have previously given their commitment to the project to progress the plans for the restoration.”
Fusion Lifestyle and the National Lottery Heritage Fund were contacted for comment.
Despite two failed attempts to secure funding for one of Britain’s finest lidos, the Broomhill Pool Trust chairman is urging stakeholders to “finally get the project over the line” – arguing the scheme is ready-made with planning permission, design approval, and unprecedented public support.
Broomhill Pool Trust 