Friends of Bingley Pool
Myrtle Place BD16 2LF Bingley

We are set up and ready for you to come along and say hello. The weather is great, there is lots to see and we look forward to many of you signing up for our Virtual Summer Sports Event

It’s here drum roll please! Friends of Bingley Pool Virtual Summer Sports Event Launch Information As you will know, Friends of Bingley Pool are still moving forward with plans for the Community Asset Transfer of Bingley Pool in September 2021 and are currently actively engaged with BMDC at all levels.... Under current government Covid-19 guidelines we are unable to hold this year's 'brilliant biathlon', one of our biggest fund raisers, so, instead we are very excited today to launch our virtual Summer sports event which will take place between 1st and 31st August. Virtual events have really taken off during this lockdown period and we think this will be a fitting substitute for this year’s Biathlon. To enter the Virtual Summer Sports Event there is a small entry fee of 5 per person with medals available for all participants. Your sporting pledge can be anything - A walk, run, cycle, roller skate, scooter, any distance and the event is open to all age groups. There is also a 25 prize for completing the whackiest pledge! We will need you to provide photographic evidence of your chosen sporting pledge upon it’s completion (full details will be given in your confirmation email together with payment information) and we hope that you have lots of fun getting creative, helping to raise funds for this very worthwhile cause. We know from the number of entries we have for the Biathlon each year how much you all enjoy a sporting challenge and hope that you will support us by getting involved in this virtual event. To enter please click on the link below: http://www.123formbuilder.com/form-5565157/form In addition to launching online, we will also be holding a stall at this Saturday’s Bingley Market so please come along and say hello if you are around. Social distancing guidelines will be in place. Many thanks as always for your continued support, it is very much appreciated. Friends of Bingley Pool

Bingley Residents: It is with a heavy heart that we announce that we have had to cancel the Remembrance Day Parade and Service in Bingley this year. As you know..., the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a huge amount of events being cancelled during 2020. However, we have until now remained hopeful that we would be able to hold a small service in some form. Unfortunately, because of the risks involved in congregating large groups and the difficulty in ensuring that all members of the public are safe (including the older, vulnerable residents who are such an important part of our parade and service), we have had no choice but to cancel the event. BUT: Because we all know what an important event Remembrance Day is to Bingley and it's residents, we still want to make sure we still mark this very important occasion in the best way we can...and we want to involve everyone in this as we always do... 1) WREATH LAYERS: We ask all wreath layers to buy a wreath as usual and to lay wreaths at a convenient time in Remembrance Week - from Friday 6th to Thursday 12th November. We would also ask that if you are willing, if you could take a video or photograph of your wreath laying, and upload to this page. 2) ALL ATTENDEES: We know that many people, especially the children, visit the Cenotaph to lay their own tributes. We hope that this will still happen, and (subject to permissions), please upload any videos or pictures to this page. 3. SCHOOLS AND GROUPS: if you are marking Remembrance Day with displays, events or creative projects, please upload photos and videos (subject to permissions) to this page. 3) ALL BINGLEY RESIDENTS & BUSINESSES: Please commemorate Remembrance Day by putting displays of poppies, flags, etc., in homes and business windows. Again, please upload photos of these to our page. Bingley Remembrance Group will be laying a wreath as usual and we will ensure the Cenotaph is kept tidy throughout the week. We are also here to support anyone with any ideas, take photos or help with displays. We will also post links over the next couple of weeks to give ideas. Bingley Remembrance Group remains committed to commemorating the great sacrifices made for us all. We will not only endeavour to ensure that this year we remember and honour all who have fallen in the best way we can, given the circumstances, we will also be planning to resume our town's wonderful parade and service in 2021. Please do contact us via this page for any information or with any ideas you have. Lest We Forget

UPDATE ON POPPY SHOP IN LIDL - LAST DAY TOMORROW! Regrettably we will no longer be able to face to face fundraise in Lidl from the start of the new restrictions... on Thursday morning. Naturally we are devastated by this news. However, people will still be able to purchase a poppy from Aldi, Sainsburys, Tesco Express (Crossflatts) and The Co-op supermarkets in Bingley, as well as the BP petrol station, Boots Canalside, Eldwick; Gilstead and Bingley Post Office and local Nisa and Premier stores. Merchandise such as pin badges, reflectors, wristbands and crosses are available in Eldwick and Gilstead Post Office and Stephen Smiths Garden Centre (I am unsure if garden centres can remain open) People can also donate online via the Royal British Legion website. Wreaths can still be arranged by contacting Collin MacDonald via email ([email protected]) Contact details can also found for us on any legitimate Poppy Appeal tin/poppy box in the local area. Can we please reinforce that no one should give any donations on behalf of the Poppy Appeal to any street collectors (even if dressed in what appears to be military uniform); door to door collectors; or via telephone canvassing. The Poppy Appeal are not using any of these methods of collecting this year and it is likely to be a scam. If concerned about any possible illegal collecting, could people please report this to the Police. If anyone wants to check whether a Poppy Appeal tin in the local area is legitimate, all tins in the Bingley and surrounding villages of Crossflatts, East Morton, Cottingley, Sandy Lane, Harden and Wilsden will have a sticker on the side with Collin MacDonald and his telephone and email address type written on it. The box of poppies with it will also bear the same label. None of our side labels are hand written. Tins will also be sealed with a pink seal this year. May we personally thank everyone in the local community and Lidl for their support and generous donations to the appeal this year and wish everyone good health and safety in these strange and challenging times. Kind regards Collin and Suzanne MacDonald

Still not too late to enter. All info on previous posts. Please support the Friends of Bingley Pool in their endeavours to save our fantastic local facility.

A case for opening our pool for Bingley Associated swim club, thank you Helen - a Bingley mum to Elizabeth (watch this space for her Olympic diving debut in the future ) #FOBP #saveourpool

Rest in peace Pat Barnard, a lovely lady and an asset to the community of Bingley, over twenty years she taught many of us to swim at Bingley baths and continued to inform and encourage us to continue the fight for a swimming facility to remain in Bingley.

Bingley Biathlon - Update Hi everyone As you will know, we are still proceeding with plans for the Community Asset Transfer of Bingley Pool to the Friends of Bingley Pool in September 2021 and are actively engaged with BMDC at all levels.... Under current government guidelines we are, of course, unable to hold this year's 'brilliant biathlon', one of our big annual fund raisers. We are currently mulling over an idea for holding a 'virtual' event for our supporters in place of the Biathlon this year. There would be a small entry fee and medals available for all participants. It could be anything - A walk, run, cycle, roller skate, scooter, for all age groups, exact details are yet to be decided and we are open to suggestions. Virtual events have really taken off during this lockdown period and we thought this may be a fitting substitute. In order to gauge interest we would be grateful if you could comment below as follows: YES I would be interested in taking part - comment with NO I would not be interested in taking - comment with Many thanks as always for your continued support, it is very much appreciated. Friends of Bingley Pool

It is with great sadness to announce the passing of Barry Watson. Barry who still lived in Bingley was a regular at Bingley baths, he even had his own key to the building whilst training for his channel swims, he used to let himself in when the pool was closed and swim up to 288 lengths. He held the record for swimming the English Channel for 18 years set in 1964 taking 9hours 35 minutes. He swam Lake Windemere 37 times and Lake Coniston 47 times!... His Service is provisionally booked at 2pm on Monday 24th August. due to Covid restrictions on attendance, the funeral car will leave his home at 1.40 and stop at Bingley Pool for a minute for people to pay their respects. Rest in Peace Barry

Don't forget to register for our Virtual Summer Sports Event. You can take part anytime from 1st - 31st August. See previous post for more info and enter here.

Important Public Information If you know anyone thinking of submitting their objection only 1 day to go.

Attention Bingley residents! Would you or anyone you know be interested in taking part in a Bingley swimathon event next year in the name of raising funds towards keeping Bingley pool open to the public? Led by a FOBP supporter Isaac Wilkinson we are looking at the possibility of a fundraising event taking place The event would be dedicated to the memory of Barry Watson- a local swimming legend- one time channel swimming record holder no less- who some of you will know sadl...y passed away earlier this year. I didn’t know Barry personally but I know he used Bingley pool all the time- and I think anyone who grew up around here would agree how hugely important it is that the pool should remain open to everyone in the community. The tentative idea is to hold the swimathon in or around May next year. People would sign up for individual or team distance events for sponsorship- with distances for all ages and abilities. Equally for those who want to push themselves the extra mile there will be some special long distance categories. Goes without saying this would all be done in line with the council’s guidelines around Covid control- under which the pool currently operates. There would be roles for organisers, volunteers and competitors- and all proceeds would go towards the friends of Bingley pool- a dedicated group of people who have a plan to save Bingley Pool from closure. What does everyone think? If this is of interest please share this post wherever you can and let’s see if we can do this for our local pool!

Wow! The Stationery Cupboard in Bingley are donating 10% of each sale of their 2021 Bingley Calendar to Friends of Bingley Pool. Thank you so much x https://fb.watch/1xI_045cZ4/

BINGLEY POPPY APPEAL 2020 Collin and Suzy MacDonald are still supplying wreaths this year and will be running a Poppy Appeal but on a much smaller scale. There ...are limited products available for the Appeal and only a small number of outlets will be selling poppies. There will be a pop up shop somewhere in Bingley in the run up to Remembrance Sunday and we will confirm the location as soon as we can. Obviously all PPE and social distancing rules will be adhered to. The Pop Up Shop will supply 2020 metal pin badges, VE 75 metal pin badges (3 designs) and wooden remembrance crosses, car poppies, knitted poppies on sticks and the usual wristbands, slap rulers, poppy reflectors, poppy pens etc. Pins are 3, car poppies 5, knitted poppies 4 and most other bits 1 each. We hope to have shopping bags and lanyards too. Please spread the word that we will be Popping up with Poppies in Bingley soon! Like all charities this year, the Poppy Appeal has lost out on much needed monies from fundraising events. Next year is the 100th Anniversary of the Poppy Appeal so hopefully it will be a big one to look forward to but we will still do our best to raise as much money as possible this year. PLEASE SHARE AND SUPPORT THE 2020 POPPY APPEAL

BINGLEY POPPY SHOP Today sees the launch of the RBL Poppy Appeal. This year it will be a slightly scaled back appeal with only limited items available and popp...y boxes and tins in a smaller number of shops and businesses. The Bingley Poppy Appeal usually has a pop up poppy shop in Santander Bank on Bingley Main Street. Due to COVID-19 regulations, this cannot happen. However, HUGE thanks to LIDL in Bingley who have generously offered us space in their Bingley store to offer a smaller scale pop up shop. We will be mostly offering our usual selection of poppy appeal related merchandise although in a smaller way since we will have to set up and pack away each day. Wreaths are available and please email us to arrange collection/delivery. We will be operating all day tomorrow and Saturday morning but only a few hours each afternoon/evening throughout next week. From Saturday 31st October, we will be there everyday, all day up until Remembrance Day on November 8th. Bingley Poppy Appeal will also accept donations of any unwanted foreign currency (coins and notes) or old style U.K.coins and notes. Please donate to any Poppy Appeal tin in the Bingley, Eldwick, Gilstead, Crossflatts, Wilsden or Harden areas only or bring along to us in Lidl. Alternatively please email us. Every little helps. We are grateful for the amazing support for the Poppy Appeal from the community every year in raising vital funds to support the Royal British Legion in all the work they do. We appreciate these are challenging and difficult times but your ongoing support is vital and greatly appreciated. Please spread the word about the location of our local appeal this year and HUGE thanks to everyone for their ongoing support. [email protected] Collin and Suzy MacDonald

A reminder for BARRY WATSON’S FUNERAL DETAILS Monday 24th August at 2pm Nabwood Crematorium. The cortège leaves Crossflatts at 1:40pm, goes through Bingley Main Street, and up to Bingley Swimming Pool at 1:45pm, on its way to Nabwood Crematorium. If people wish to pay their respects to Barry, they can gather along the route or outside Bingley Pool.