Following a recent renovation closure, on Sunday 27 June the Gallagher Aquatic Centre is launching a new season of the facility's popular Ladies' Nights.
Ladies' Night runs on the second and fourth Sunday of each month from 6-8pm. Ahead of each night, an all-women staff roster is arranged for the pool including reception staff, lifeguards and a Learn to Swim and Aqua Aerobics instructor. To ensure stringent privacy for those with religious requirements, a temporary fitted curtain is also run around the pool's external windows.
Facility co-ordinator Atul Sharma says the concept, trialled last year, had proven very popular for women of all ages and backgrounds.
"Each year Council organises an Ethnic Listening Forum to hear suggestions from our growing migrant and refugee communities. That is where the idea of Ladies' Nights first emerged and from there it has grown into a really popular service for all sorts of women.
"With Ladies' Night, we've taken the popular idea of women's gyms to the water and added a twist – creating a physical environment that gives women of any background or religion the freedom to exercise, enjoy and learn in the water.
"For kiwis, growing up around beaches and water, knowing how to swim is something we often take for granted. But that isn't the case for many people who have recently made New Zealand their home. So learning water safety is really important for those communities and for their children. But for many of these cultures, modesty is an important consideration – often for religious reasons," he says.
But while the special arrangements are taken very seriously, Ladies Night lifeguard Rebecca McTainsh says the atmosphere is far from formal.
"The thing people enjoy most about Ladies' Night is the fun and relaxed atmosphere. There's a Learn to Swim instructor is in the pool to offer advice to anyone who wants it, otherwise you're welcome to try the Aqua Jogging for a bit of fitness, lane swimming or just enjoy being in the water.
"Anyone who is female and over the age of 14 years old is welcome, so we get lots of different women coming – from kiwi girls and older women who enjoy an all-women atmosphere to Indian women looking to improve their swimming and Muslim ladies who are unable to use mainstream services for modesty reasons. It's proven to be a really great service," she says.
Ladies' Night dates can be checked at www.hamiltonpools.co.nz or by phoning 07 958 5890.
