Results of Ashhurst Aquatic Centre Survey
January - February 2016
There were 105 responses to the survey. The figures below reflect those responses.
Question 1 – Please check the hours that you think you and your family would swim at Ashhurst Aquatic Centre?
Result – 52 selections preferred the hours of 8:00am to 9:30am. It should be noted that this survey was conducted in the summer and probably reflects parents looking to swim after dropping off children at school in the morning.
Question 2 – Please check the days that you think you and your family would MOSTLY swim at the Ashhurst Aquatic Centre in the MORNINGS.
Result – Monday, Thursday, Friday
Question 3 – Please check the hours that you think you and your family would MOSTLY swim at the Ashhurst Aquatic Centre in the AFTERNOONS.
Result – 31% preferred hours from 3pm to 4pm. This result supports the assumption that the summer hours have driven the majority of responses for 3pm to 4pm.
Question 4 – Please check the days that you think you and your family would MOSTLY swim at the Ashhurst Aquatic Centre in the AFTERNOON?
Result – Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Question 5: Do you think the Community Pool should be closed in the Winter?
Question 6: Do you attend swimming/lessons? If so, please indicate which day?
58 of the selections said Yes to attending Swim Lessons across Monday to Friday
Question 7: If you have not been able to indicate the hours that you require, please write them here.
The answers to Question 7 were mostly questions and fell into 3 categories
- Swimming after school when it is hot
- Swimming during swim lessons
- Hours for pre-schoolers (2pm before school finishes)
Question 8: Positive Suggestions for Ashhurst Aquatic Centre to consider?
Some suggestions have already been implemented and others are pending.
- Aqua Aerobics – we are currently looking for an aerobics instructor and will communicate when that happens. If you know someone who would like to do the Aqua Aerobics, we would like to hear from them.
- Hot water – the request is under consideration and we hope to have hot water installed by mid-winter.
- Gym – the gym is closed.
- Wheel chair access – we now have a wheel chair ramp for the concrete lip leading to the observers area. A hoist for pool access is next on the list.
- More Family Fun days and inflatables – definitely planning this. All inflatables are currently in for repair. The inflatable slide is beyond repair.
- Allow swimming during swim school hours - No, there are too many classes going on to allow this to be done safely.
- No lifeguard on duty notice - We assume that this is meant to be the notice on the door leading into the pool. This notice pertains ONLY to the time the pool is used for swim lessons. As there is no public swimming during swim lessons we do not have lifeguards on. Public swimming hours always have a lifeguard on duty.
- Outside Area – plans are drawn up for this purpose
- Receptionist during the hours we are open – we now have a person on reception each afternoon. We do not have a person at reception on a Tuesday and Thursday mornings, but there is a staff person on duty.
- Keep open over winter – we will be open over winter but will also use that time to schedule major maintenance.
- Pre-school lessons during mornings from 9-11am – we could only consider this during Terms 2 and 3. In Terms 1 and 4, the pool is used by schools for their swim lessons and is in use all day. We probably need to get feedback from any parents wanting pre-school lessons during the week who might consider doing this during Terms 2 and 3.
- Snacks, Lollies and a drinks machine – we did have snacks and lollies on sale at one time but found that the majority of parents at that time were not keen on the sugary snacks for their children. Maybe something we can revisit, but we would have to look at the type of snacks offered. Looking into a drinks machine.
- Qualified Lifeguards – we recently achieved PoolSafe Status and for that you have to have qualified lifeguards. We also have a staff member who can train lifeguards and we will be using that person to lift the numbers of lifeguards we have.
- Showers in changing rooms – there is a shower in the First Aid room and a pool side shower. Hopefully hot water coming to the pool will mean more people will be keen to use the showers.
- Facebook is good but need website – Ashhurst.net
- Better communication for lessons/intensive lessons – Facebook/Website Calendar, Village Voice
Conclusion
We will shortly be trialing the hours of 7am to 9am for the morning swimming over Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. This will start in the first week of Term 2. We will trial this for a month and post the number of swimmers attending each day. The numbers gathered in the survey indicate that we should see a high number of swimmers at the pool on those days and during those hours. If the number of swimmers does not increase over this time we will go back to 2 mornings per week.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are the days indicated where people would like to swim after school from 3pm. In Terms 4 and 1 we will adjust our hours for swim school to allow for after school swimming. We will publish the hours closer to the Term 4.
The pool will be open over winter but will close for scheduled maintenance.
Thanks to everyone who responded to the survey.