Latest news with #StokePark
BBC News
21-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Paddling pool in Guildford's Stoke Park reopens after long delays
A paddling pool in Guildford has reopened for the summer holidays, almost two months behind schedule. The pool in Stoke Park was expected to open for the May half-term before it was delayed due to the water being contaminated. Julia McShane, leader of Guildford Borough Council, has now confirmed that the facility reopened on water has proven the latest in a series of issues with the pool, which also opened a month late last year because of staff sickness. Three years ago the pool was forced to shut just days after a £141,000 refurbishment because parents said its floor was too slippery for McShane says that a team of engineers have worked "absolutely flat out" since learning of the problem with water quality."We're absolutely delighted to welcome people back to the paddling pool for the summer holidays... I know how much the pool means to the community," she told BBC Radio Surrey."We're not sure exactly what has caused the problem, but obviously I'm really delighted that we've been able to resolve it at the moment," she added.
BBC News
28-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Update on Guildford paddling pool plagued by problems
The public paddling pool in Guildford's Stoke Park is no stranger to opened a month late last year because of staff sickness and in 2022 was forced to shut just days after a £141,000 refurbishment because parents said its floor was too slippery for the pool is once again more than a month late to open as engineers try to balance the chlorine levels, and are yet to determine what is causing the asked how much the ongoing work is costing the taxpayer, the leader of Guildford Borough Council was unable to answer. So what exactly is going on at Stoke Park and what needs to happen for the pool to reopen? Respiratory problems Council leader Julia McShane told BBC Radio Surrey that the current high levels of chlorine in the water could be a public health said it would particularly affect vulnerable people and might lead to skin or eye irritation as well as stomach and breathing problems."We don't want to be causing people those issues to their health," she said. "I can reassure people that the teams are working incredibly hard with experts to try to find out what the problem is and to resolve this as quickly as possible so we can get this pool open again."But with temperatures in Guildford set to hit 32C on Monday, many families have been left feeling frustrated."It doesn't seem like they can get it right on anything really, it's a real shame that it's like that again, we had a lovely summer here last year once it was sorted," one parent told us: "We're all sad because we used it last year and it was lovely, a lot of people enjoyed being there, but unfortunately it's not open." What happens now? Ms McShane said it would not be fair to give a reopening date to the public as a timeframe for repairs is not yet clear, but she did say work would continue from next week."The team are going to empty the pool again, flush it through, fill it back up again, probably try a different chemical treatment and then test it again," she said."When we're absolutely certain that the pool is safe to use, then we'll reopen."And how much is this all costing?Ms McShane was unable to give a figure and the council did not provide us with one either when we followed it for now, families will just have to keep their fingers crossed and hope the sun is still around when the pool eventually reopens.
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Alex de Minaur takes crucial step as Aussies create 30-year first at Wimbledon
Alex de Minaur says he feels 'ready and excited to compete' at Wimbledon after a confidence-boosting exhibition win over compatriot Alexei Popyrin. It comes as Australia gets set to send its largest contingent to Wimbledon in 30 years after four more players earned spots in the main draw through qualifying, taking the total to 17. De Minaur made the sad admission recently that he was mentally and physically exhausted from tennis and needed to take a short break after his shock second-round loss to Alexander Bublik at the French Open last month. Australia's top-ranked male then lost to eventual Queen's finalist Jiri Lehecka in his only other grass-court outing in the past month, before beating Popyrin 6-3 6-4 in the Boodles invitation event on Thursday. The now-traditional pre-Wimbledon exhibition is a five-day tournament featuring some of the world's best players in a typical British garden party setting at the Stoke Park Club. And while tougher tests lie in store at the All England Club next month, de Minaur says it was just what he needed heading into the year's third grand slam. "I think this was a very important match for me to kind of get back on track, to get a match played in competitive spirit, and kind of try to put in place all the things I've been working on, and feel those match-type nerves," the World No.11 said. "Going into Wimbledon now, I feel ready and excited to compete. "I love this time of the year. It's always a lot of fun. I think it's a surface that suits my game-style really well and, hopefully I can come play some good tennis in the coming weeks." De Minaur and World No.20 Popyrin are the two Australian men seeded for Wimbledon and will learn their first-round opponents in Friday's draw. De Minaur was a quarter-finalist at the All England Club last year and says 'being mentally refreshed' and 'trusting his game' will be key to his hopes this year. "In the past, I've played some great tennis at Wimbledon, so it's about trusting myself and knowing that I can go out there and do it, just committing to my shots." RELATED: De Minaur responds to 'awful' reveal from fiancee amid huge setback Tennis world in frenzy over news about Kyrgios and Naomi Osaka Aryna Sabalenka under fire over 'classless' act after French Open final De Minaur will be joined in the Wimbledon main draw by 16 other Aussies in the nation's biggest contingent since 1995. Priscilla Hon, Talia Gibson, Aex Bolt and James McCabe became the latest to book their spots in qualifying, with Hon and Gibson both surviving match points. The news wasn't as good for 16-year-old rising star Emerson Jones, who failed at the final hurdle as she sought to become the youngest Australian player since Ash Barty to make the singles main draw. But Hon - who was down 6-5 and then 0-40 in her clash with Canada's Victoria Mboko - saved five match points and mounted a stunning comeback to earn victory and book her spot. Gibson also saved a match point at 5-3 in the third set before winning the next four games to progress to her first Wimbledon main draw. McCabe qualified on his first try by taking down the No.5 seed Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera in four sets. It came as 19-year-old Aussie Maya Joint - already qualified for Wimbledon - reached the semi-finals of the Eastbourne event with a straight-sets quarter-final win over Russian Anna Blinkova. with agencies
Daily Mail
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Kelly Osbourne showcases her slender frame in a chic blue floral print dress as she attends Boodles Tennis event
Kelly Osbourne showcased her slender frame in a chic blue floral-print dress as she attended day three of the prestigious Boodles Tennis at Stoke Park in Buckinghamshire on Thursday. The TV personality, 40, who is the daughter of rock legend Ozzy and TV star Sharon, exuded elegance in the stylish ensemble, which featured a halterneck neckline, bow cut-outs at the bust, and a flowing skirt. Striking a pose for the cameras, Kelly added height with a pair of black strappy open-toe heels. She completed the look with diamond earrings and a tennis-inspired diamond bracelet. Held annually at the luxurious Stoke Park, the Boodles Tennis event offers a rare opportunity to see top-ranked players compete in an intimate and exclusive atmosphere. Kelly's outing comes after she shared a snap of herself earlier this year looking dramatically different, reigniting speculation that she's had plastic surgery. The star took to Instagram to post a couple of glamorous shots after getting her hair and makeup done, with her face looking smoother and more chiselled than ever. Captioning the photos, Kelly revealed she'd been all glammed up for her plans to be cancelled at the last minute, lamenting: 'Sat through glam only to find that my day had been cancelled. #alldressedupandnowheretogo'. However, her followers were distracted by her noticeably slimmer and tauter appearance, which highlighted her sharper jawline, voluptuous lips, and lifted brows. They raced to the comments to admit they could barely recognise the star and accused her of getting heavy cosmetic work done that had made her look as though she'd had a 'full head transplant'. They commented: 'Is Kelly Osborne in the room with us?'; 'WHO IS THAT?? Wft....'; 'Gifted a new head for Christmas….'; 'totally different head'. 'Who's face is that?'; 'Full head transplant'; 'Lots of money and a good plastic surgeon and we can all be this beautiful'. 'Wow amazing what tons of plastic surgery, ozempic and money can do'; 'Is this the same Kelly Osbourne or..'; 'New face, who dis?' 'Where is Kelly?'; 'can't imagine how many surgeries, fillers, botox injections, skin treatments, etc. were involved in this transformation. When you no longer look anything like yourself, what exactly did you accomplish?' Held annually at the luxurious Stoke Park, the Boodles Tennis event offers a rare opportunity to see top-ranked players compete in an intimate and exclusive atmosphere It comes after Kelly's fans voiced their dismay after she shared a new snap of herself looking dramatically different, with her face looking smoother and more chiselled than ever reigniting speculation that she's had plastic surgery 'Teenage Kelly would not be happy about this'; 'What in the millions dollars worth of plastic surgery is this'; 'Is she AI?!' Kelly has undergone many changes in her appearance over the years. In 2020, she revealed that she had quietly undergone gastric sleeve surgery two years before, leading to a jaw-dropping 85lb weight loss. She also previously admitted to having injections to change the shape of her face, and make her jaw look 'skinnier,' after suffering with TMJ (temporomandibular joint dysfunction). However, Kelly has repeatedly and furiously denied that she has had any cosmetic procedures besides Botox. Last year, she declared that she was a 'huge fan' of plastic surgery, but insisted that she was too scared to get anything done after seeing her mother go under the knife so many times. She told People: 'I am a huge fan of plastic surgery. What it does for people is amazing. It can change people's lives and give them the confidence they've been lacking, and make people feel beautiful in the way they want to feel beautiful. 'But I've never done anything but Botox. I'm too scared. I've always been in the camp of if you think it's broken, fix it. You don't have to be stuck with a nose you hate for the rest of your life. So yes, I'm a huge fan.' She explained the root of her fear, saying: 'I watched my mum go through every recovery from everything she's ever had done, and it looks awful'. They raced to the comments to admit they could barely recognise the star and accused her of getting heavy cosmetic work done that had made her look as though she'd had a 'full head transplant' Sharon, 72, has undergone a range of procedures including a gastric band, full facelift, tummy tuck, an eyelift, breast implants, abdominoplasty and Botox. While she has branded her 2021 facelift the 'worst thing she ever did' after the procedure left her 'looking like a cyclops' and 'Quasimodo'. Back in March last year, Sharon shocked the public after she made her return to UK reality TV on Celebrity Big Brother. The star couldn't hide her weight loss on the show as she revealed doctors 'can't figure out' why she hasn't been able to gain weight back after she stopped using Ozempic months ago. 'The doctors can't figure it out,' she said. 'But I think it's just because I'm getting older and as you get older you lose weight anyway and shrink and shrivel off.' On why she decided to start receiving Ozempic injections, Sharon said 'everyone was doing it'.
BBC News
25-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Stoke Park paddling pool opening date still unclear, council says
A Surrey paddling pool still does not have an opening date, one month after it was due to reopen for the Borough Council said it was "unable to confirm an exact opening date" for the Stoke Park paddling attraction was due to open on 24 May but testing after resurfacing works found the water was contaminated."We understand how frustrating this closure is but the safety of visitors remains the priority," the council told the BBC. A spokesperson said staff are "working hard" but testing still indicated "high combined chlorine levels"."These levels indicate that the chlorine we are adding to the paddling pool is not effectively cleaning the water," according to the council."Bacteria and algae might still be present, so we need to achieve a safe combined chlorine level before we can reopen."The current state of the pool poses possible health risks including skin and eye irritation, stomach issues or respiratory problems, the local authority added. The paddling pool, which typically opens annually from May until September, also suffered opening delays in 2024 due to staffing last underwent a refurbishment in 2022.
