Chairman's Blog - November 2018
NEW MORDEN LEISURE CENTRE
The Council has announced that the new Morden Leisure Centre will soon be open to the public.
This is in Morden Park. It replaces the Morden Park Pool which was said to be energy inefficient and expensive to maintain.
Once the new Centre opens, the old building will be demolished, and the land restored to open space and landscaped with trees.
The new Centre has a 25m x 13m main pool and a smaller secondary pool with a movable floor, so that it can be used for everything from shallow toddler sessions to diving.
There will be a studio and fitness suite, and a café with outside seating for dog- walkers. There are also facilities for disabled people.
It will be run by the same company that already manages the Wimbledon Leisure Centre and Canons Leisure Centre in Mitcham.
MASCOT TELECARE
For elderly and vulnerable people living at home, the Mascot telecare service is an enormous comfort. It ought to be better known.
It was introduced by Merton Council some 28 years ago and provides a pendant that can be hung around the neck or on the arm, which clients can press to contact the Mascot office 24 hours a day, should they have a fall or accident at home. The telecare service will then contact a nominated relation or friend - or send a staff member to help. They will contact the emergency services if needed.
The office is locally based.
My own mother was given a pendant when she got into her eighties and found it very reassuring when she had to be left alone in the house. On occasion she pressed the pendant by accident, and they were very good in telling her not to worry about this.
Since the scheme originally started, they have added a handyman service which means that someone can come and do the small jobs that need to be done, such as changing light bulbs or fitting tap washers or setting up a bedroom for someone who has just come out of hospital.
Mascot also offers other technologies that are designed to help people to live independently. These include door sensors to alert family members if a person with dementia leaves the home, and flood sensors to prevent people letting sinks or baths overrun.
There is a small weekly charge for the monitoring-only service, and a slightly larger one for the response service, including the handyman. Mascot can be contacted for more information on:
TRAVELLERS ON CANNON HILL COMMON
There were in fact two incursions last month by travellers camping on Cannon Hill Common. We understand that the Council is taking up the suggestion of obtaining a permanent injunction in the High Court to prevent further illegal incidents. This won’t stop the problem altogether but should assist in making their removal quicker and easier.
John Elvidge
