The cheek of it! Woodhall Spa pool thrives on thong ban

Business is booming at Jubilee Park in Woodhall Spa and it's all down to the hot weather...and the Love Island factor!
Jubilee Park, Woodhall Spa. EMN-180730-110159001Jubilee Park, Woodhall Spa. EMN-180730-110159001
Jubilee Park, Woodhall Spa. EMN-180730-110159001

As of last Wednesday, around 50,000 people had visited the park’s outdoor swimming pool - more than in the whole of the tourist season last year.

The season runs until September 16... meaning all previous records will sink without a trace.

Park manager Joe Stanhope admits the red-hot weather has been a major bonus with queues most days.

The poster which sparked the national publicty.The poster which sparked the national publicty.
The poster which sparked the national publicty.

However, Mr Stanhope admits a decision a few weeks ago to ban revealing swim wear - and the subsequent national publicity - has also paid dividends.

The park issued a crackdown on revealing Love Island-style swim wear in July.

Mr Stanhope, himself, designed a poster with the message: ‘We won’t give you any cheek - and we’d appreciate it if we didn’t see any in return.”

It followed concern from staff and management that some customers were revealing rather too much at the family-friendly facility.

Blame was attached to the increasing popularity of Love Island - a smash hit on ITV 2’s schedule.

The ban led to several national newspapers running articles - and even devoting whole pages for columnists to air their views.

Some articles dubbed the park as ‘spoilsports.’

However, Mr Stanhope defended the crackdown and says 95% of visitors are behind it.

He said: “The newspapers gave both sides of the argument but we have had 95% of people in support of us.

“I stand by what we said - some of the swim wear was not appropriate.

“When I sat down at six o’clock one morning and designed that poster for our Facebook page, I never thought I’d see it on the main page of the BBC website - or in The Sun!

“I suppose what you wear is down to individuals, but a lot of our visitors come to the park because it is so family friendly.

“The response (to the publicity) has been incredible and it certainly hasn’t done us any harm.

“Everyone has been talking about it (the ban).

“The number of visitors has been brilliant.

“We’ve already beaten the number of visitors for the whole of last year.”

A new online booking system for the pool has helped reduce queues.

The system is restricted to around 20% of admission places available on a daily basis.

Swimming lessons will run throughout the summer and Mr Stanhope recommends the quietest time for a ‘dip’ is between 6.30am and 9am - an adults only session.

The in-demand pool is a feature of the park which includes a number of other sporting and leisure attractions, alongside a camping and caravan site.

Mr Stanhope confirmed overall business had been ‘very good’ and added: “The poor weather at the start was a setback, especially at Easter.

“Now, the park is hotter than places like Dubai and Turkey. Why go abroad?”

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