This Is Jersey

A GROUP of unhappy mothers are having to consider taking their babies elsewhere for a swim after they were recently faced with a price increase to use the AquaSplash pool.

Eight to ten mums with babies ranging from 14 weeks to 18 months have been using the pool every Friday at 1.30 pm for the past eight months, but they were dismayed when they found they had to pay more.

One of the mums, Andrea Elliott, explained: ‘We meet at 1.30, as that time suits the mums the best because some of them work. From the first day of attending the pool the mums always paid the same £3.50 fee each, which is for a mother or carer and one baby.’

At the end of May Andrea was told that the price had gone up to £5.80, as this was now a peak time (half-term). She spoke to the manager, who explained the different price bands. Andrea pointed out that a baby doesn’t use any of the facilities such as the flumes, sauna and whirlpool, which are included in the adult price.

She also pointed out that she and the other mums were lucky if they were in the pool for more than 30 minutes with the babies, and that £5.80 was a lot of money to them.

‘I thought it was unfair to charge £3.50 in the morning and then £5.80 in the afternoon, as some mothers work,’ she said. ‘The other mothers and I have been attending throughout the winter [off-peak season] and for a lot of that time we have been the only people in the pool. Surely this should make us the sort of customers they should be trying to keep, as we are loyal and are here all year round.’

So we put the mums’ points to James Shepherd, the manager at the AquaSplash. He said: ‘We offer different rates which vary to reflect the leisure pool facilities open at different times of the day.

‘Andrea and the group of mums have been coming in during term time afternoons [off-season] when the pool is quiet and we do not operate any of the leisure pool features, like wave machine, flumes, tyre ride and outside pool. This is because all school-age children are at school and therefore cannot come swimming while visitor numbers to the Island are low or non-existent.

‘Logically, good business practice means that we do not open every feature as there is insufficient demand to warrant the cost of supply.

This is even more pertinent as the pool receives a public subsidy. For this reason we reduce the cost accordingly and as indicated by the admission rates. The £3.50 rate is a parent and toddler concession that is provided for the timetabled parent and toddler sessions on Mondays to Fridays from 10 am to noon during term times.

We have already increased the frequency of these sessions to include Tuesdays and Thursdays and have made a concession to Andrea and her group by charging them this rate during the weekday afternoons, as they have indicated that they are unable to attend when the parent and toddler session is timetabled during the mornings.

‘When Andrea came in during half-term week all the features were open and therefore the correct admission charge would have been £5.80, which she was charged.

‘The AquaSplash pool building is open-plan, so when all pools and features are open it is impossible to control access to different pools and therefore impossible to charge different admission rates based on who is going to use what, as once in the pool hall, every pool is accessible.’

Andrea wasn’t particularly pleased with the reply and the mums are still unhappy. ‘We have now been paying £4.75, and as it’s the summer holidays it is £5.80. We just can’t afford to go any more,’ she said. ‘We’re going to have to club together and go to Les Quennevais if they don’t bring the prices down.’

Article posted on 30th July, 2008 - 2.53pm