WINNER: THAMES LIDO SPONSORED BY JACOBS THE JEWELLERS AND THE PURPLE TURTLE
Thames Lido was given the Putting Reading on the Map award, sponsored by Jacobs the Jewellers and The Purple Turtle.
The Lido was first opened in 1903 as a ladies’ swimming bath, but was used as a bathing area as far back as 1860.
It remained largely unused for more than 40 years following its closure in 1974, but was reopened in 2017 with new facilities and amenities following two years of renovations.
Shirley Westcar-Kebby, membership coordinator at Thames Lido, attended to accept the award, and said: “It was really lovely to be nominated and obviously a huge thank you to our sponsors and everyone who voted.
“For us it makes sense that we were given the Putting Reading on the Map Award, given the environment we work in and what we provide for residents.
She explained: “People come to us from all over the UK and often say that we are a jewel in Reading’s crown.
“It’s a wonderful place to work, and I love working there; the atmosphere is so conducive to relaxation and well-being.
“As the Lido itself is Grade-II listed, it’s been with the community for so long– people tell us that they learned to swim here and they bring their grandchildren, and that is really lovely.”
She said that the reinstatement of the Lido “was a huge project, and a huge commitment for me and Arne [Ringer], but it feels like it’s back as a part of Reading.
“It could have been demolished, but the campaign to keep it helped to highlight that in fact we needed to keep places like these as part of the town.
“We were so pleased that we were able to keep hold of it.”
On winning the award, she said: “It’s phenomenal to be up here with the rest of the winners
“It feels like a vote of confidence and that people have ownership over it– we like to think that we can welcome everyone in the community, so to be recognised by them is great.”
