Riverside prepares for a summer of fun
Published 9 May 2024
The pool and splash pad at Wallingford Riverside are set to open this month on Saturday 25 May, in good time for the half-term.
South Oxfordshire District Council, who owns the site, and their leisure contractors GLL, who manage the Better Leisure facilities on behalf of the council, are busy preparing the pool and splash pad ready to open for the summer.
The campsite at Riverside in Wallingford is already open for the summer season with campers already booked in to start arriving over the coming weeks.
In the last few months, the site around Riverside has seen some of the heaviest rain and experienced some of the worst flooding in years.
This has impacted the facilities with water reaching the changing room area which was only refurbished last spring and the pool itself causing extensive damage.
However, despite these challenges the pool and splash pad will be open for the full season, which will end in early September – with the campsite closing later in that month.
This will be the first year that the £296,450 splash pad will be available for children and families to use for the full summer season since opening in July last year.
Cllr Maggie Filipova-Rivers, Cabinet Member for Community Wellbeing at South Oxfordshire District Council said: “Given the extreme flooding we saw in this area earlier in the year, I am grateful for the hard work of our council officers and the team at GLL for making sure the campsite, pool and splash pad are going to be ready to welcome visitors for the summer season.
“This is such a popular facility and it’s great to see so many people enjoying it each year. Whether you’re coming for a daily swim, want to sit back and enjoy the sunshine or splash around on the splash pad, I look forward to seeing residents and visitors coming to Wallingford this summer.”
Kevin Williams, GLL Partnership Manager for South Oxfordshire and Vale of the White Horse said: “After a very successful 2023 we’re looking forward to reopening the open-air pool to the public in May.
“Despite some challenges, including significant flooding this winter, as a result of Storm Henk in January, the team have been working hard to ensure the campsite, pool and splash park will be up and running in time for the new season.”
The splash pad will be available to use daily from 9am to 6pm until early September.
The pool will be open from 7am to 6pm weekdays and 9am to 6pm at weekends.
The pool will welcome back the Swimming Dr sessions, Aqua Aerobics and adult and children swimming lessons.
The campsite can be booked via the Better UK website and bookings for the pool will open 7 days before for members and 5 days for non-members.
Bookings can be made via the Better UK app and Better website.
At the end of the season work will begin on accessibility improvements to Riverside including a new accessible mooring and associated paths and ramps to ensure the site is accessible to all riverside visitors, including wheelchair users.
