Prince Of Wales To Visit Lido Ponty
Lido Ponty, the National Lido of Wales, is to host its first Royal visit on Wednesday, July 6, since its re-opening last summer, when it welcomes His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall.
The Royal Party is expected to arrive at Ynysangharad War Memorial Park, Pontypridd, in the morning, for a guided tour of the £6.3m Grade II listed outdoor family water attraction, which officially re-opened to the public on August 29, 2015.
More than 24,000 people flocked to Lido Ponty during its opening season in 2015 – and more than 25,000 people have already visited in the first five weeks of opening in 2016.
His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall will be visiting the National Lido of Wales as part of their annual summer tour of Wales on July 4-8.
Members of the public are invited to come along to Ynysangharad War Memorial Park to greet them. There will be no public access into Lido Ponty for the duration of the visit.
Cllr Ann Crimmings, Cabinet Member for Environment, Leisure and Culture, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall along to Lido Ponty, the National Lido of Wales.
“It is a major tourist attraction for Wales that we are all so proud of and has attracted almost 50,000 visitors since its re-opening in summer 2015.
“We are so proud that Rhondda Cynon Taf is home to the National Lido of Wales, none more so than on the day when Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall pay us a visit.”
The Royal Party will tour the facility and meet those people who worked on the Lido Ponty regeneration project, as well as visiting the Waterside Café, Visitor Centre and Lido Play, the outdoor children’s adventure park.
Lido Ponty was originally built in 1927 in a style that was typical of its time, bringing a strong Mediterranean mood to the South Wales Valleys. Among those to have regularly visited during their younger days was local boy Tom Jones, long before he found international fame as a singer.
Jenny James also learned to swim at Lido Ponty at the age of seven and went on to work there as a swimming coach and lifeguard before entering the record books as the first Welsh person to swim the English Channel in a time of 13 hours, 55 minutes, on August 16, 1951.
Lido Ponty is a result of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s amazing £6.3m restoration project, made possible with financial support from the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government, Heritage Lottery Fund and Cadw.
This historic family attraction is the only one of its kind in Wales and is Wales’ premier outdoor pool attraction and adventure play park.
Restored to its former glory and updated for the 21st Century, Lido Ponty has three heated swimming pools, offering great opportunities for families, dedicated swimmers and social swimmers of all ages and abilities.
Lido Ponty features include external and internal showers, heated changing facilities and a state-of-the-art Visitors’ Centre which tells the amazing story of the National Lido of Wales.
Original 1920’s features which have been restored include the turnstiles and wooden cubicles.
Lido Ponty, the National Lido of Wales, has full disabled access and is the place where old memories are relived and new memories are made. It is the only remaining open-air Lido left in Wales.
Lido Ponty, the National Lido of Wales, is open seven-days-a-week until September 11 offering FREE swimming for all ages
Lido Ponty is also available for club or private hire Mondays to Sundays and is the perfect setting for private functions such as weddings, anniversaries and birthdays.
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