New Forest DC swimming pools gain CIMSPA Pool Water Quality Award

New Forest District Council is today celebrating success with five swimming pools in the area being awarded the prestigious CIMSPA Pool Water Quality Award.

The Council’s health and leisure centres at Applemore, Lymington, New Milton, Ringwood and Totton have all demonstrated that their swimming pools provide customers with a safe, clean environment in which to swim.

The award is managed by the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity, the professional body for the UK sport and physical activity sector. It assesses swimming pools against UK and European quality standards, and provides award holders with both good practice guidelines and a management framework to ensure they maintain the very best standards for their swimmers.

The award is only granted after a stringent site inspection by CIMSPA’s assessment partner Kingfisher Environmental Services, who are leading specialists in the management of pool water quality.

Ian Doherty, CIMSPA Client Services Manager, presented the award plaque to Cllr James Binns, Portfolio Holder for Leisure with New Forest District Council. In attendance were Chris Rhodes, Group Maintenance Manager – who is responsible for the water quality at the Council’s five health and leisure centres in the district and was instrumental in achieving the award – and Owen Davies, Director with Kingfisher Environmental Services, who undertook the inspections.

Speaking on behalf of the Council, Cllr James Binns, said: “We’re very proud that all of the Council’s swimming pools are now able to celebrate the high standards they have met for the CIMSPA Pool Water Quality Award. CIMSPA’s assessment team have confirmed we have met a tough benchmark for pool water quality as we seek to provide the very best environment for New Forest’s residents to get active and stay healthy.”

Ian Doherty, CIMSPA Client Services Manager, who presented the awards to the successful centres added:

“I’d like to congratulate New Forest District Council on their stellar achievement today. Members of the public visiting these centres who see the award plaque will be confident that their swim will be safe and pleasant, and that New Forest District Council stand out from the crowd in terms of the quality of service it offers to customers.”