More than 800 people in queue for swimming lessons at Corby pool

The huge popularity of lessons at the state-of-the-art pool has now prompted bosses at Corby Council to launch a review into how they can reduce waiting times.

Back in April 2015, the council tackled a 400-strong waiting list by adding extra sessions to bring the total number of weekly swimming and diving lessons up to 1,200 per week.

But such is the demand for lessons among the town’s growing population, that the waiting list has only continued to grow and is now standing at 800.

Council officers have proposed that the fun pool and 20m pool open to the public at 10am on Saturdays, instead of 9am, to allow for the extra classes which would start at 8am.

To compensate, extra lane swimming in the 50m pool would be available from 9am until 10am on Saturdays and Sundays.

A report that will be debated at next week’s One Corby Policy Committee meeting states: “A further 64 swimming lesson classes could be created, offering an additional 512 spaces.

“The staffing cost is £45,500 and will be covered by the additional lesson income which is estimated to be £110,000 if the maximum take up is achieved.

“It is intended the lessons will be fully operational by the 1st April 2017.”

Corby swimming pool factfile:

Work began on the pool in Feburary 2007 and the project took just two years to complete.

The pool was opened in summer 2009 and cost £20m, funded largely by the council’s land sales to housing developers.

Olympic swimmer Mark Foster performed the official opening, swimming the 50m length in 22.92 seconds, still a record for the pool.

Although, at 50m, it is the right length for an Olympic-sized pool, its width is 5m shorter than the 25m required for it to be described as an Olympic pool. It’s therefore described as an ‘international’ pool.

Its full name is a bit of a mouthful - The Corby East Midlands International Swimming Pool.