NEW TECHNOLOGY costing £50,000 is set to be rolled out at Bracknell Leisure Centre’s (BLC) pools to help tackle lifeguard shortages.

Bosses from Everyone Active, the leisure group which took over the running of BLC, Coral Reef and Downshire Golf Complex (DGC) from Bracknell Forest Council (BFC) in March 2018, gave a presentation to councillors about its challenges and successes in running the sites at a meeting on Tuesday (September 10).

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One challenge managers have faced is a shortage of lifeguards at both BLC and Coral Reef, which has sometimes meant pools have had to close.

To tackle this problem Everyone Active is investing £50,000 in a ‘Pool View’ system, meaning cameras will be installed underwater to assist lifeguards.

David Love, Everyone Active Area Manager, explained: “Underwater cameras pick up if a casualty is stationary for a certain amount of time and alarms will be set off.

“It’s there to support the lifeguards to react quicker than they would do without it.

“We will still use lifeguards, it’s just an extra layer of protection.”

Councillor Moira Gaw questioned if the leisure centre could be left “exposed” should the technology fail and there is a limited number of lifeguards on site.

Mr Love said managers would always “make sure” pools are fully supervised and keep up with safety guidelines.

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Mark Tennant, contract manager at Everyone Active, said earlier in the meeting: “It doesn’t mean we remove lifeguards – it just means we can reduce the number of lifeguards.

“It supports us because it means where there are dangers of pool closures sometimes because we haven’t got enough lifeguards, or there have been instances where we’ve had to reduce the surface water of the pool by putting a lane rope in because we’ve not got enough lifeguards on duty.

“This investment means we won’t need to do that moving forward so it’s a real positive for everybody.”

The managers outlined their plans to challenge issues surrounding cleanliness at the site but also told councillors about a number of positive since Everyone Active took over from BFC.

Introducing an online ticketing system at Coral Reef has “improved customer experience”, the £2.8 million refurbishment of the leisure centre has increased gym usage by 30 per cent, and new environmental commitments have meant the leisure sites have reduced energy usage by an average of 15 per cent.

Community-based schemes have also been set up by Everyone Active, including ‘Sporting Champions’ – an initiative which aims to support budding sports stars to achieve their dreams.

A survey by Everyone Active revealed four in five people are ‘satisfied’ with the state of the facilities and two in five leisure centre users would be ‘highly likely’ to recommend BLC, Coral Reef and DGC to a friend.

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Everyone Active bosses gave a presentation to councillors about the changes they are making at their leisure centres at a meeting on Tuesday, September 10.