Waterside Pool - Newly Refurbished Changing Rooms open

Ryde's Waterside Pool has announced that after 6 months of extensive refurbishment works, the new changing facilities are now completed.

In 2024 the charity secured government funding through the community ownership fund, which was used alongside its own reserves to bring the project to reality.

The project was to refurbish the outdated changing rooms as well as replacing the roof, both of which had far surpassed their life expectancies and in urgent need of refurbishment.

The charity was keen to use local firms to complete the project, with Acorn Interiors, Tim Knight Roofing and ERMC being chosen as partners.

Works started in early March, which involved stripping the changing rooms back to the bear bones and starting fresh. 

The new changing rooms provide a modern, clean and comfortable changing area for all, a total transformation from the old changing facilities.

The works included: 

- New flooring, with heated floors 

- Revised drainage 

- New ceilings and LED lighting 

- Improved ventilation 

- Vanity areas with hair dryers 

- New toilets and sinks 

- New changing cubicles 

- Refurbished lockers 

- All new electrics

- All new heating and water plumbing with increased water flow 

- All new showers 

- Outdoor shoe storage 

- Water bottle re-fill station 

The project in total has cost the charity over £300,000 and wouldn’t have been possible to keep within the tight budget constraints without the support from customers who continued to use the facility throughout this period of disruption.

Looking into the future, Waterside Pool hopes to continue this work and will be looking into grants to continue refurbishment into the disabled room, reception foyer and poolside, further future proofing the Centre for years to come for the local community. 

Todd Miller, General Manager, said:

“We really appreciate everyone’s support in bringing these projects to completion.

"We are elated with the end result, with the new changing rooms providing a vastly improved customer experience whilst at the centre.

"Alongside the recent energy saving projects, it really helps to secure the future of the Centre for the local community."