If this past year has taught us anything it’s that we should beware of crystal ball gazing, but (touch wood, fingers crossed) by the time you read this open water venues and lidos in England will be open with indoor pools following in mid-April. This issue we celebrate our pools and lidos, explore their rich history, learn how we can support them, and look forward to a bright future of regeneration and new projects. Emma Pusill, co-author of The Lido Guide, explains why lidos are more than just pools without a roof; Simon Murie celebrates the SeaLanes project that hopes to establish a National Open Water Swimming Centre in Brighton; we find out more about the renaissance of the Britain’s oldest lido, Cleveland Pools; and Ella Foote meets photographer Soo Burnell, whose beguiling images capture the beauty of historic pools.
In our recent ‘Trends in Outdoor Swimming Report’ we discovered that being an outdoor swimmer made a majority of swimmers more concerned about wildlife and nature conservation. But have you ever considered the environmental cost of your swim kit? Luke Chamberlain looks at the environmental impact of neoprene asks how green is your wetsuit. Meanwhile, Rowan Clarke has some thrifty ideas to keep down the costs of buying kit.