UEL Active Campus set to make a splash

The University of East London’s Docklands Campus will get a major new attraction later this month, with the opening of a pop-up swimming pool. The pool will be located in the Aqua East car park and will be heated, enclosed, and free of charge.  

The new facility is set to open to staff and students on 23 October, as part of the University’s Active Campus programme, which aims to facilitate wellbeing by encouraging people to move more, with new events and activities each term and significant improvements to campus facilities. 

The new pool will have its own changing facilities and will be staffed at all times by qualified swim coaches and a lifeguard. There will be a wide variety of classes, some teaching swimming and water confidence skills, while others will focus on wellbeing, with sessions involving aqua-yoga, pilates, and rehabilitation. Lifeguard training and information about other employment opportunities will also be available. 

The pool is a major part of our Active Campus scheme, with the Active Trail, a mile-long loop running around the Docklands campus, also opening in October. It features a range of engaging spots along the route to promote active health, wellness, and self-discovery, with schools and other local community groups invited to use it. 

The University’s Assistant Chief Operating Officer for Sport and Active Campus, Hilary Lissenden, welcomed the start of the ambitious scheme, saying,

We are delivering something truly innovative - not just for the university, but for the higher education and sport sectors. We are challenging traditional perceptions of what it means to ‘be active’, and authentically offering something to engage every member of our community for health, learning, well-being and social outcomes.”   

A celebration to mark the opening of the scheme will be held on 26 October, with a variety of activities and entertainment taking place, attended by the former Olympic 400 metres champion, Christine Ohuruogu MBE, and the University’s Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Amanda Broderick.  

The pool isn’t the only pop-up facility that’ll be coming to the Docklands campus, with a skatepark set to open in the spring. Sports scholars from the University with skating experience will be working with the North London Skate Club and other local community organisations to provide expert coaching, as well as staging inspirational demonstrations of their skating skills and graffiti art workshops.  

To find out more about the Active Campus visit the page.

View the pool timetable.