Latest news with #AdrianSarchet
BBC News
27-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Diving board at St Peter Port to reopen after public outcry
An open air diving board in Guernsey will reopen in time for the weekend following a public outcry over its platform at the Ladies Pool in St Peter Port closed in February over safety concerns about the depth of the the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) had said the water was too shallow to meet the World Aquatics and British Standards' required depth of 3.2m (10.5ft).The States confirmed earlier that work to remove "a significant amount of silt and rubble" had been completed and the depth of the pool by the diving board had been increased from 2.75m (9ft) to 3.5m (11.5ft). It added that additional improvements would be carried out over the summer, including works on the diving platform, to further improve will include providing improved steps to make it easier to access the platform and works to reduce the slipiness of the boards when Lindsay de Sausmarez, president of the committee for the environment and infrastructure, said it was a "fantastic example" of Guernsey's community spirit."Businesses, government and members of the public pulled together so that the platform can be reopened."As a keen swimmer myself, it's brilliant that we can now continue to enjoy this feature of our wonderful bathing pools."Adrian Sarchet, a member of the group working to reopen the platform, said: "We should all feel blessed to live in a place where magic like this can happen."Now happy children, both large and small, will be leaping off the diving platform once again into a safer environment."
ITV News
27-06-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
Community come together to reopen Ladies' Pool diving platform in Guernsey following safety concerns
A popular free outdoor diving platform in Guernsey will reopen to the public this weekend following months of public pressure. The board, installed in the 1920s at La Vallette Bathing Pools, was closed and due to be removed in February after it failed a health and safety assessment. Hundreds of local people came out to protest the decision and stood around Ladies' Pool, leading the Government to pause its removal. Officials said the necessary changes to increase the water depth and stop leaks would cost £1 million and even then, the area would need to be supervised at all times. Since then, politicians have worked with the community, businesses and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to find a solution. A large amount of silt, rubble and bedrock has been cleared to increase the pool's depth to 3.5 metres around the platform - above the minimum 3.2-metre clearance required by World Aquatics and British Standards. Adrian Sarchet is part of the working group to reopen the platform and adds: "We should all feel blessed to live in a place where magic like this can happen. "The community spoke, government listened, and local business facilitated a solution largely for free. "The cast of faces that has made this happen is too large to thank individually here, but each and every one of you has my thanks." The States says further safety improvements will be made over the summer, including better steps and non-slip surfaces, leading to sign-off from the HSE to reopen it straight away for public use. Infrastructure Committee President, Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez, explains: "This has been a fantastic example of Guernsey's incredible community spirit ... As a keen swimmer myself, it's brilliant that we can now continue to enjoy this feature of our wonderful bathing pools." Want the inside track on the key issues that will shape Guernsey's Election this June? Listen to Guernsey Votes, an ITV Channel podcast packed with expert guests, local insight and analysis you can trust...
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Calls to save diving board after removal notice
An open water swimmer is among those campaigning to save a public diving board in Guernsey after the announcement of its removal due to safety concerns. Adrian Sarchet, known as the Sea Donkey, has called for members of the public to show support for the "iconic piece of heritage" at La Vallette Bathing Pools. The government said the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) had served a prohibition notice in relation to the diving board following reports of incidents and near misses. The HSE said the depth of the water under the platform fell below international standards and as a result it would have to be removed. It said the maximum depth of the water below the diving platform was 2.75m (9ft) which did not meet the 3.2m (10.5ft) minimum depth required by the World Aquatics and British Standards. The States of Guernsey said it considered increasing the depth of the pool, but the estimated £1m cost to do so was "prohibitive". It added: "Even if work was carried out to increase the depth of the pool, regulations from World Aquatics, the UK Health and Safety Executive and Swim England also state that users of any diving platform should be supervised at all times and that the diving area should be segregated from other swimmers. "Other options were considered including reducing its height, however, again this would still require continual supervision by lifeguards and segregation of the diving area, which was also considered to be prohibitive due to the cost of hiring the necessary staff." Mr Sarchet said he understood the board would be removed on Tuesday 11 February. He said "there was a lack of transparency" around the decision after only being made aware of the plans on Thursday. "I hope we can encourage HSE or at least the politicians they answer to, to postpone the planned removal of the diving board on Tuesday 11 February and to engage with the public on the perceived risks and potential solutions that do not involve the destruction of our shared heritage," Mr Sarchet said. HSE chief officer Robin Gonard said: "In light of the assessment we carried out, our decision was that immediate action needs to be taken to ensure compliance with modern safety standards to protect members of our community by avoiding the risk of serious injury or worse." Follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to Guernsey Bathing Pools win top architecture award Jersey officials visit Guernsey bathing pools Annual sea swim raising funds for charity States of Guernsey
