Momentum Grows For Isle Of Wight’s First Tidal Sea Pool

In another very positive step forward Swim The Wight CIC in collaboration with the University of Southampton Centre for the South has been awarded further grant funding.

This valuable funding will be used by a team of academics funded by the Centre for the South to take the results of its recent IW Sea Pool Survey further by undertaking more detailed analysis of the data.

These see people carrying out some public events and using the results to create a policy document that supports the tidal sea pool’s Feasibility Study Report.

A grant of almost £6,000 has been awarded from the Centre for the South’s New Things Fund to enable this work to be done and a report to be delivered to the Isle of Wight Council later next year.

The IW Sea Pool Survey was carried out over the summer and achieved almost 1,200 responses from Island residents and visitors: providing insight into people’s sea swimming behaviour.

From the initial analysis more than 88% of respondents said that they enjoyed swimming in the sea with 16% of those sea swimming at least once a week.

The current barriers to sea swimming for many though are concerns about pollution (75%), safety, including risks of deep water, currents and tide (54%) and water temperature (37%).

85% of all respondents said that they would use an accessible sea pool, 11% thought they might use one and only 4% said they wouldn’t use a sea pool at all.

More detailed data from the survey can be found at www.swimthewight.org.uk/seapool.

Sue Barker, Swim The Wight’s Sea Pool Lead, said:

“We are delighted that this project has been seen by The New Things Fund to be of real value.

"The momentum and support that we are gaining for a tidal sea pool is growing daily and we believe strongly that a pool in Yaverland will deliver positive benefits to our whole community.”

The sea pool survey results and the extended analysis and public engagement work are critical elements in a feasibility study currently underway to establish the technical, ecological, environmental and business feasibility and sustainability of creating a tidal pool at our preferred location at Yaverland.

It is planned that the first stage of the study will be completed in the first half of next year.

However further funding is needed to complete the feasibility study and Swim The Wight are seeking financial sponsorship, goods in kind and people prepared to give their time and skills to support this initiative.