Credits
Meet the team behind Future Lidos, Pooling Resources and the Lido Toolkit
Deborah Aydon
Pooling Resources Project Director & Steering Group
Deborah came to Future Lidos as founder of The People’s Pool, and was one of the original group on the first Zoom call. When progress stalled on The People’s Pool, she hatched the idea for Pooling Resources and the Lido Toolkit as a way to use her research, contacts and ideas to help accelerate progress for all Future Lidos projects. Deborah’s background is in cultural leadership, including 15 years as co-CEO of the Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse theatres, where she led on the multiple award-winning £27m redevelopment of the Everyman. She is now an independent consultant and Client Adviser, working across culture, lidos and regeneration.
Emma Boggis
Advocacy Specialist
As a keen indoor and outdoor swimmer and a general sporty type with a background firstly working in central government and then trying to influence government policy on behalf of national governing bodies of sport, Emma was keen to use her skills, knowledge and enthusiasm for the subject to help Future Lidos deliver the Pooling Resources project. Emma spent the majority of her career working in the Civil Service before becoming Chief Executive of the Sport and Recreation Alliance in 2014. In 2019 she transitioned to a portfolio of non-executive director roles in the public and not-for-profit sector, as well as working as a consultant on projects which spark her interest.
Linda Byrne
Future Lidos visual identity designer
Linda is an editorial and brand designer with a lifelong love of lidos and swimming. Linda works primarily with the architecture and culture sectors crafting publications and graphics with attention to narrative, space, colour and materiality. Linda does her lengths at Brockwell Lido and travels often, seeking out architecturally interesting indoor swimming pools and the most beautiful outdoor spots.
Jem Collins
Social Media Manager
Jem has run the social media channels for Future Lidos, helping to amplify the reach of the network and inspire more people to jump into the water. She has worked as a journalist, editor and social media consultant for more than 10 years, including for outlets such as the i, Metro.co.uk, and PinkNews. She founded and runs Journo Resources, a social enterprise that helps people progress within their journalism careers. Outside of this, she’s most frequently found in the pool, and she is the founder of All The Lidos, which aims to chart every patch of swimmable land in the British Isles.
Evolve Your Digital
Website Designers
Evolve Your Digital is a Yorkshire-based digital consultancy specialising in helping SMEs find their digital sweet spot. They are a small team of experts, whose ethos is to offer the personal touch while providing an amazing digital service. As well as website design, they support clients in finding business solutions, whether that’s social media strategy, business development consultancy or a new sales process. They take the time to understand each business in depth, and are proud to have built long-term relationships with clients.
Judi Hughes
Steering Group
Judi discovered the Future Lidos group as Secretary of Brynaman Lido in South Wales when looking for similar projects to learn from in the quest to refurbish her local lido. Inspired and informed by the stories of others with the same goal, she helped in the creation and delivery of Pooling Resources. Judi is retired and draws experience from her career in arts management. She began volunteering with Brynaman Lido in 2014 and has led the organisation through its governance, asset transfer process and the first major step towards refurbishment with a Project Viability grant from the Architectural Heritage Fund.
Niall Kenny
Steering Group
Niall was one of the original group to meet on Zoom to bring about the birth of Future Lidos. Niall is an open water marathon swimmer and has done such swims as Fastnet Rock, Tralee Bay and Galway Bay. This inspired him to set up Cork Lido CLG, a project in Cork to bring a safe, river-based, 50m swimming pool to the city. As Chairperson, he has collaborated with the City Council to do a site feasibility study and will be starting the funding stage in 2024.
Caroline Kindy
Steering Group
Caroline is the founder and project lead for Yorkshire Swim Works, an ambitious project to create a hub of swimming and outdoor activity centred on a naturally filtered open-air pool.
From a commercial background, Caroline was entirely new to the sector and the world of health, wellbeing, sport, community, local authorities, culture, and all that the wonderful world of lidos represents. When she was introduced to the Future Lidos network in 2021, she immediately felt supported and encouraged on her journey with Yorkshire Swim Works. As a member of the Steering Group for Pooling Resources, she openly shares her knowledge, gained in leading Yorkshire Swim Works from inception to imminent creation, alongside freelancing as a business support consultant.
Andy Lerpiniere
Environmental Sustainability Specialist
Andy joined the Future Lidos team after working on the design for Jubilee Pool in Penzance. Andy has worked in building design for almost thirty years, the first twenty of those with Arup, and now as a Director at Webb Yates Engineers. A mechanical engineer by training, Andy became interested in environment, energy, sustainability and more, when they were not even buzzwords. He led the team that developed passive environmental control for galleries, first implemented at the V&A Medieval & Renaissance galleries and now an industry benchmark. He has spent a lot of time thinking about and developing ways of communicating design and is focused on designing and building in a truly collaborative way. Andy believes in total building design in much the same way that the Dutch once believed in total football.
Nathan Miller
Equity & Engagement Specialist
Nathan came to Future Lidos as a volunteer at East London Waterworks Park, leading their crowdfunding campaign and inclusivity listening project outreach. Coming from mixed-race heritage, he has always been passionate about synthesising different cultural needs into products and spaces. Nathan has 15 years experience in social and product research, learning design and launching companies. He worked on consultant research projects for Flamingo International, Pulsar, and Apps For Good. He led the marketing for a crowdfunding campaign for children's computer kit, Kano, which raised $1.5 million in 30 days (1,500% of its goal), and is now used by thousands of schools around the world. He worked for Hyper Island, designing and facilitating interdisciplinary Masters programmes in business transformation and design thinking. Nathan is now a full-time parent and volunteer with East London Waterworks Park.
Kate Rodenhurst
Pooling Resources Project Evaluator
Kate has been a consultant in the cultural sector since 2007. She has over twenty years’ experience in arts and heritage, as a freelance consultant and previously as Head of Community Partnerships at National Museums Liverpool. Her range of services includes project management, strategic planning, stakeholder consultation, evaluation and fundraising. She is a trained facilitator and runs workshops to support clients with strategy, project design and reflection/evaluation. Kate evaluates projects across the arts and heritage sector, and is currently working on a review of the national, sector-specific training programme Heritage Compass, and of Helping Hands, a programme to expand and diversify volunteering across Cumbria. Kate is a Director of The RED Archive CIC and trustee at Sefton Park Palm House Preservation Trust.
Chris Romer-Lee
Design Quality Specialist, Steering Group
In 2003, Chris co-founded architecture practice Studio Octopi and then in 2013 published designs for Thames Baths: a floating lido for London. For the last ten years, Chris has been working on various historic swimming pool restorations including Tarlair Outdoor Pool, Saltcoats Bathing Pond, and Cumbria’s finest, Grange Lido. He has also worked for Sydney Water on new swim sites in the Harbour, and numerous lido proposals including George’s Dock Lido in Dublin. In 2023, Chris’s first book was published. Sea Pools features 66 of the world’s finest tidal pools and is a beautiful ode to sea swimming. Chris is now researching his next book, centred around the climb and fall of the diving board.
Fiona Shaw
Toolkit Editor
Fiona’s a writer, editor and communications specialist, and runs the Liverpool-based publishing company Wordscape. Her work crosses responsible business, community and the social economy, and she’s a co-founder of good business magazine Ethos. She sits on the boards of several Liverpool-based social businesses, including community laundrette Kitty’s and Baltic Triangle Area, which she chairs. A keen outdoor swimmer, she never travels without a swimming costume and is braced for more cold-water dipping.
Frances Smith
Project Coordinator
Frances joined Future Lidos to support the development of the network and coordination of the Pooling Resources project. With a career working as a creative producer and consultant acoss arts, culture, heritage and the built environment, Frances has worked on a wide range of projects across the north, always with people and community at the heart. Like many people, Frances first experienced the joy of lidos as a child and was excited to join the Pooling Resources project, recognising the powerful social value lidos have within communities and the impact they have on individuals, and strongly resonating with the accessible and community focused ethos of Future Lidos.
Nick Stuart
Business Sustainability Specialist
Nick was introduced to the Future Lidos Group after volunteering with the Yorkshire Swim Works, a community project seeking to build a natural outdoor swimming pool in West Yorkshire. Nick has a wealth of experience in the startup world and is a marketing and strategy consultant when not running his own business and volunteering for Yorkshire Swim Works.
Michael Wood
Steering Group
Realising the scale and growth of independent lido projects across the UK and Ireland, Michael founded Future Lidos in February 2021, on the back of his strategic presentation at the November 2020 virtual Lido Conference, and almost a decade of work researching the sector while seeking to restore Tynemouth Outdoor Pool. He is passionate about facilitating the visibility, recognition, societal value and overdue growth of these public luxuries demanded by their communities. Michael’s background is in cultural branding, in and out of sport and physical activity, where he has worked for clients such as Nokia, Adidas, HSBC, Canon, Mars and Sky Sports. He is now an Assistant Professor in Sport Management at Northumbria, researching and consulting across a diverse range of contexts in sport, leisure and health, which he then uses to teach undergraduate and masters students.
This has been a huge collaborative venture, and we'd also like to thank everyone who played a part, including the case study lidos, Toolkit test readers, expert advisers, ally organisations, and contributors to our monthly discussions:
Trevor Hancock, Abergavenny Lido - Adaptive & Disabled Open Water Swimmers Facebook group - Gary Horth, Ben Welton & Gavin Coates at Albert Avenue Pools & Fitness, Hull - Andrew Burges, Andrew Burges Architects, Australia – Jade Stuart & Olive Smiles, Arbroath Sea Pool – Shaun Crowley, Beccles Lido – Michelle Healy, Belmullet Tidal Pool – Damian Stevenson, Black Swimming Association – Mark Ling & Alan Wilkinson, Broomhill Pool Trust, Ipswich – Pam Barrett, Buckfastleigh Pool & Our Lido Ltd – Sue Raven, City of Parramatta, Australia – Christopher Arthey, City Road Lido – Alice Le Page, Cleveland Pools – Hilary Gleeson, Kilrush project, Co Clare – Kirsty Cumming, Community Leisure UK - Cllr Polly Knewstub, Ealing Council – Carol Freeman, Eastville Park Lido – Francesca Gains, Sarah Langli, Leoni Sharp, Eleanor Davies & Ian Lawson, Friends of Otley Lido – Amy Morris, Friends of Stratford Park Lido – Andy Glover & Mark Rogers, Fusion Lifestyle – Patrick Earls, George's Dock Lido Campaign – Andrew Clark, GLL – Sally Goble - Steve Ward, Go Fit – Jane Savidge & Grahame Hadden, Hampton Pool Trust – Bill Hanley, Hathersage Pool - Sarah Pearce, Heritage Trust Network - the team at Historic Pools of Britain - Mark Cooper, JTA – Joe Stanhope, Jubilee Park, Woodhall Spa & Historic Pools of Britain – Nicola Murdoch & Karis Musser, Jubilee Pool, Penzance – Clive Peacock, Kenilworth Lido Campaign – Eva Clarke, Limerick Narwhals – Rafal Cymbalista, London Fields Lido – Sarah Thelwall, MyCake – Joel Bramwell, Newport Lido – John Lowe & Lynda Thwaite, Our Lido Ltd – Eugene Minogue, Play England – Emma Pusill, Portishead Lido & The Lido Guide – Mark Dunbavan, Preston Lido project – Pia Philbey PTP Coaching – Erica Ryan, Saddleworth Lido Project – Irene Campbell, Saltcoats Tidal Pool – Julie Sargeant, Sandford Parks Lido – Terry Lambert & Hazel Blears, Save Grange Lido – Euan Lowe, Scottish Swimming – Ross Gilbert, Sea Lanes – Kim Worts, Dawn Gelshinan & David Thomas, Shoalstone Pool – Duncan Anderson, South Downs Leisure / Sea Lanes – Brian Daly & Corinne Cunningham, South London Swimming Club at Tooting Bec Lido – Jon Couves, Sport England - Stephen Harris, Stonehaven Open-Air Pool – Oona Kelly, Swaffham Lido – Richard Lamburn, Kerry Watkiss & Jon Glenn, Swim England – Mary McMorrow, Swim Ireland – Sue Barker, Victoria Thorneton-Field & Linda Richter, Swim the Wight – Sioned Williams, Swim Wales - the team at Therme Group - Liz Slater, Patrick Bowes & Julian Egan, Tinside Lido & Mount Wise Pools – Sally Sutton, University of Plymouth – Kat Harter, Ware Priory Lido – Richard Stott, Why Sports – Judith Martin, Winchester Lido – Andrew Beattie & Emma Jones, Wordscape - Rita Garner, Worthing Lido – Clive Morton, Wrightfield Pools
… and all who contributed anonymously to our lived experience research.
And finally, we are deeply grateful to the National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players, without whom none of this would have been possible.