EJust a few comments from users of VPLC & Ilkeston Swimming Club
Kyle Hudson
Ilkeston Swimming Club has been part of life for over 12 years, it's like a massive family, I've gone through the teaching pool, to the splash pool and the main pool, and it's been quality teaching and coaching in every pool I went in.
I.S.C have been part of swimmers progression that have made Midland Championships, National Championships and we have even had swimmers represent Team GB all of these swimmers have gone through Ilkeston Swimming Clubs teaching pool.
Paula Middleton
As a concerned parent, I cannot see how ISC can be such a threat to the leisure centre when the club teach a much smaller number of swimmers (and usually siblings of competitive swimmers) vplc allege they teach over 700 swimmers in lessons and 100 1-1 swimmers ISC teach approximately 80! And to an excellent standard
Kelly Curtis Always had excellent lessons from Ilkeston swimming club, I myself was a member and my two daughters are now and have a great time!
Gemma Gough
are they not very naive to think that swimmers from Ilkeston, many with older siblings at the club, to leave to have VPLC lessons? If the club were to fold, surely they would suffer immensly from them receiving no money from Ilkeston Swimming Club we pay them for pool time, which I'm guessing is a big chunk of their overall income? Stupid proposal & more fool the inconsiderate idiots of the council who clearly can’t care about anyone but themselves. Maybe if they hadn't faffed around wasting money when they did the first refurbishment of the center they wouldn't be in quite such a financial mess?
Matt Daibell
Being one of, if not the eldest swimmers and having grown up with ISC.. I will be totally gutted and outraged if this happens! Ilkeston has been a big part of many people's lives and the amount of hard work and dedication people put in week in week out will come through once again and we will be victorious! shame on the council for even proposing this!
James 'Cookie' Cooke
Although having not been an active member of the club over the past few years I had previously spent all of my evenings between the ages of 8 through to 20 not only training at the club but also engaging and learning with the club itself and the many members that i have seen come and go and then come back to the club :). The ISC is more than just a club a to me as i have met so many great people through being a member that i will always have a special bond with. As well as the club teaching me and training me to be a competitive swimmer it also taught me of social and work skills that i use to this very day. The ISC allowed me to go on coaching courses which enabled me to develop myself and help develop others. So i cannot comprehend why anyone would want to take this great opportunity and asset away from the community.
Ian Butterworth
My daughters both swim at ISC and I am on committee at Heanor SLSC we had problems with lessons a few years ago. You can tell when we go to competitions exactly when it was by the gaps in age groups! Lessons are the lifeblood and future of any competitive club and this must be fought all the way. The effects won't be felt this year or maybe next but it will impact massively on the clubs future. Simon Gordon i Agree with you on this. My kids have used VPLC's instructors and lessons for the last 6 months plus to learn and improve their swimming. Problems we have found was some parents send their children here for this purpose whether their children wanted to learn or not. This leads to some disruptive individuals which can hold the group back. The instructors do their best but there has been some gaps in continuity with substitute instructors, this leads to the substitute spending half the lesson playing catch up to attain what level the children are at. IMO its not as dedicated a swimming class, as I assume ISC's lessons would be for children wanting to swim and later compete.
Tracey Bunce
My daughter has downs syndrome and has been a member of this fantastic club for over ten years, she has a disability but the club has nurtured her ability within the confines of her disability and treat her with respect.
Lea Horsfall
We stopped taking our kids to vplc lessons because they had different teachers every week and as a result were learning very little! It got so bad that we got refunded all our money and given 1 to 1 tuition for our youngest...this also suffered due to lack of continuity. Having then decided to have Ilkeston swimming club teach our eldest she has come on leaps and bounds!
The key thing is that if you stop ISC from teaching our kids, we won't bring them to VPLC to learn from their instructors as we don't think VPLC competent to run an effective programme with the continuity needed to be any good. The only reason ISC are pinching your students is the VPLC managements incompetence!
Rensie-anne Briggs
i have been a member of Ilkeston swimming club off and since I was six I am now 46 I swam up to the standard of counties with my sister i then had
My 2 eldest children swimming for the club from 5 til 18 swimming up to the standard of counties and now my youngest as started swimming with club i would not use vplc for his lessons as I don’t agree with the standards that they teach to
Ilkeston swimming club was set up by sue for teaching children to swim 40yrs ago and has always been a teaching as well as a competitive club people have their right to be learn to swim where ever they want
Abi Shapland
Abysmal. VPLC management should be utterly ashamed of themselves. The club has brought in revenue for so many years, and worked so hard to sustain memberships across all ages. Being a successful developing club starts with engaging young swimmers with the concept of competitive swimming. My childhood, teenage years, and a good few adult years teaching were spent at this legendary club - I can't put into words how much my time @ ISC has shaped my life. VPLC - you can't overcome years and years and reputation, memories, amazing volunteers and committed little swimmers. If I have children one day, they will be part of a swimming club, and I hope its Ilson.
Fay Webster
It's bang out of order what they’re planning to do It’s not just swimming it’s a family. The club was a big part of my childhood Vplc should by embarrassed
Richard Bloore
i was a member in the early 80s from about the age of 5 in the teaching pool. i grew up learning to swim with Ilkeston Swimming Club. I also learnt to Dive in the diving pool with Ilkeston Swimming Club. It helped me stay out of trouble and off the streets, it helped me develop a good set of lungs and stamina. My 5 and 7 year old now go to Ilkeston swimming club and even tough i live closer to Bramcote i have always returned to VPLC for general swimming over the years out of a sense of loyalty to the swimming baths that came from a sense of pride and loyalty to Ilkeston Swimming Club. I wonder how many other customers swim at VPLC because they were part of Ilkeston Swimming Club in the 70s, 80s, & 90s. if they cut off the roots eventually it will die and the clubs teaching classes are the roots to the club and probably VPLC
Louise Andrews
i had no idea that the swimming club actually taught swimming - maybe you should advertise that fact because i can't be the only one that didn't know. my 6 yr old has been having lessons since sept 2011 and is in level 2 now.
Ian Butterworth
Just had a chat with committee members if there's anything we can do at Heanor SLSC to help in anyway please let us know
Gemma Gough
are they not very naive to think that swimmers from Ilkeston, many with older siblings at the club, to leave to have VPLC lessons? If the club was to fold, surely they would suffer immensly from them receiveing no money from Ilkeston Swimming Club we pay them for pool time, which I'm guessing is a big chunk of their overall income? Stupid proposal & more fool the inconciderate idiots of the council who clearly con't care about anyone but themselves. Maybe if they hadn't faffed around wasting money when they did the first refurbishment of the center they wouldn't be in quite such a financial mess?