Beckenham Place Park Relaunch Event

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Come and enjoy the new features, facilities and activities in Lewisham’s biggest park at this free, community event!

These include wild swimming, fairground rides, new café, volunteering hub, family and children’s activities, boating activities, steel band, food stalls and bars.

Local wild swimming hits the national press.

I literally can’t wait for this to be open, though can’t make the opening day.

Open water swimming and some Kayaking - brilliant!

So looks like the lake has reopened but only to those over 8 years of age, which is a shame as neither of my children are. This appears to be the case not just for swimming, but also the Kayaking though I’m not 100% sure on that.

Anyway, if you don’t have kids might be a great place to go for a swim tomorrow in this weather!

Shame . Just because of some irresponsible parents . Now no children are allowed (under 8) . Ah well it is a shame but at least children will be safe …and all the other people can enjoy it .

Just being over eight does not mean you are automatically allowed to swim, you also have to be able to swim 25 metres (although how they check this I do not know!).

Can many 9 year olds swim 25 metres?

I’m not sure if the ban is due to irresponsible parents, something else or a combination. I don’t like to come down too hard on things like this as if it has been done with children’s safety in mind, that should be the priority.

However, I go to France and Spain on alternate years to see family, and we go swimming in lakes, the sea, rivers (less so in rivers admittedly) and you basically plan to look after your children, lifeguards or not.

I’m VERY surprised you can’t take a 6,7 year old in a kayak, assuming they have a lifejacket, in what is essentially still water (vs a river or the sea).

In all fairness @ForestHillFrank I understand the 25 metre rule if it’s an area designated for swimming (though I think parents can go out with their children like you would at the seaside), but it’s hard to see how the ‘paddling area’ for small ones is not open, considering the lake is essentially new - I was really hoping for an area we could go as a family, or youngest could paddle about in the shadows and our eldest could go for more of a swim. In fairness our oldest is 8 so probably could go, but we can’t as a family, which is a real shame.

Overall it’s still a great addition for those who can use it, hopefully they iron out these issues for next summer.

I know it is a shame but the Council want to keep their back safe . Considering those parents blamed the Council that the place is not safe . I m come from a sea side and from when I was a little child I was in the water …swimming in the sea,river and lakes … here is different I see . A lot of people don t have any idea about safety in the water . Adults let little children stay in deep water unattended … they closed for that reason and they needed to change the rules and made more strict! Shame for people like you ,who has little children and unable to enjoy as a family . Let s hope they ll open the paddling pool but always adults should be an arm reach from their children .Always , indoor pool outdoor,park,lifeguard or without lifeguards …

If you don t respect the water ,it can kills. This is what the council want to avoid! Tragic incident . Anyway me as a swimmer will never go there to swim training is too small. I prefer to swim in bigger lakes up in North

@LewishamCouncil this is how Beckenham Park Lake should be run: https://www.mustdobrisbane.com/outdoors-beaches-city-pools/enoggera-dam-gap - if the aussies can do it, why can’t the brits?

Is there any group challenging the new rules that I could join?

So sad that a single irresponsible parent a) has a 9-year old that cannot swim, b) would let any child that cannot swim go in with an adult that cannot swim and c) has spoiled it for the rest of our children. None of our rivers, seas or the channel have these bizarre rules, so why should our lakes?

MyLondon has a first-hand writeup by Angie Quinn on the relaunched swimming:

On first impressions, it’s a fabulous addition to one of the loveliest green spaces in South London.

The 285-metre-long lake looks brilliant thanks to a £4.9 million makeover.

…

But just how deep is the drop between the shallow and deep parts of the lake?

I put the float around my waist and entered the water.

It’s clean, cold and a perfect way to cool down on a hot day. It’s lovely and the ducks also swimming in the water really did give it the “wild” feel.

I walked through the water with sand in between my toes until I felt the water getting deep - at 5ft 5ins tall this didn’t take long.

According to this article every single person who swims has to take a float in with them?! This is absolutely ridiculous. So a grown adult who is a strong swimmer can’t even go swimming in a small lake because a couple of kids got into difficulty there. Wow I’m glad the council didn’t over react or anything…