Henleaze Swimming Lake is an amazing resource for the city, providing residents with the opportunity to wild swim in a beautiful scenic spot in the middle of the city. The charity mission states that it is for the benefit of residents of the City of Bristol, so it does not prioritise residents living in close proximity to the lake for the purpose of equal access.

However, I have not met anybody who has been able to get access. I have met people who have been on the waiting list for 10 years or more. I have met people, like myself, who haven't even been able to get on to the waiting list. Community access is offered to people on the waiting list, however it is now impossible even to get on the waiting list. You can attend as a guest if you know a member, but with memberships being so exclusive this is not a fair or equitable option. 

The only equitable option would be to follow a similar model to the swimming ponds in Hampstead Heath in London which, despite having an enormous remit, manage to support equitable access for all. 

A reasonable option would be to open the lake for public access, potentially during the summer and on set days per week, where you would need to pay a small, nominal fee to swim and would need to book in advance to ensure numbers do not exceed a safe capacity.

We appreciate this will involve some administrative cost and facilitation by the club, which we could support to fundraise for.

Additionally, the Swimming Club has a requirement for all members and guests to pass a 50m swimming test. This could be a requirement for setting up an account to make a booking.