1Good morning.
2I'm very pleased to have this opportunity to say a little about two exciting new developments in the city:
3the Brackenside Open-Air Swimming Pool
4and the children's Adventure Playground in Central Park.
5As many of you may know,
6the idea for these initiatives came from you, the public,
7in the extensive consultation exercise which the City Council conducted last year.
8And they have been realised using money from the SWRDC -
9the South West Regional Development Commission.
10First of all, Brackenside Pool.
11As many of the older members of the audience will remember,
12there used to be a wonderful open-air pool on the sea front 30 years ago
13but it had to close when it was judged to be unsafe.
14For the design of this new heated pool,
15we were very happy to secure the talents of internationally renowned architect Ellen Wendon,
16who has managed to combine a charming 1930s design, which fits in so well with many of the other buildings in the area,
17with up-to-the-minute features such as a recycling system -
18the only one of its kind in the world - which enables seawater to be used in the pool.
19Now, there has been quite a bit of discussion in the local press
20about whether there would be enough room for the number of visitors we're hoping to attract,
21but the design is deceptive and there have been rigorous checks about capacity.
22Also, just in case you were wondering,
23we're on schedule for a June 15th opening date and well within budget:
24a testimony to the excellent work of local contractors Hickman's.
25We hope that as many people as possible will be there on June 15th.
26We have engaged award-winning actress Coral White to declare the pool open
27and there'll be drinks and snacks available at the pool side.
28There'll also be a competition for the public to decide on the sculpture we plan to have at the entrance:
29you will decide which famous historical figure from the city we should have.
30And now, moving on to the Central Park Playground,
31which we're pleased to announce has just won the Douglas Award for safety:
32the news came through only last week.
33The unique design is based on the concept of the Global Village,
34with the playground being divided into 6 areas showing different parts of the world -
35each with a representative feature.
36For example, there is a section on Asia,
37and this is represented by rides and equipment in the shape of snakes, orang-utans, tigers and so on -
38fauna native to the forests of the region.
39Moving south to the Antarctic -
40we couldn't run to an ice rink I'm afraid
41but opted instead for climbing blocks in the shape of mountains -
42I thought they could have had slides for the glaciers but the designers did want to avoid being too literal!
43Then on to South America -
44and here the theme is El Dorado -
45games replicating the search for mines full of precious stones.
46And then moving up to North America,
47here there was considerable debate -
48I know the contribution of cinema and jazz was considered
49but the designers finally opted for rockets and the international Space Station.
50Eastwards to Europe then, and perhaps the most traditional choice of all the areas:
51medieval castles and other fortifications.
52Then last, but not least, moving south to Africa
53and a whole set of wonderful mosaics and trails to represent the great rivers of this fascinating and varied continent.
54Now, the opening date for our Global Playground is the 10th of July.
55And again we'd love to see you there -
56so make a date and come and see this magnificent, original new amenity right in the heart of the city.