Leith Waterworld

Working as a teacher you learn that there is some sense in the advice, 'Don't smile until after Christmas.' I never manage that long, but after Christmas, I think, you can relax a little bit more and start to develop the more positive aspects of the pupil-teacher relationship.

Attempting to do this, and actually having a genuine interest in how kids spend their time, I asked a first year pupil what she might do at the weekend:

'Nothing,' was the reply.
'Come on, you must do something,' I said.
Shake of the head.
'Nothing at all?' I said. 'Nothing?'
'Well, I do like swimming,' she admitted.
'Oh? Where do you go?' I asked.
'Waterworld.'

Waterworld Leith is expensive to run, but what it returns to the community cannot be easily measured. It gives a lot of fun to kids who perhaps aren't interested in football or team sports. It helps families play together - and it allows friends to get together. Personally, despite the cost, I think the closing of Waterworld would be a loss: the social 'profit' of Waterworld will never make it onto a balance sheet, but it is there, and it is giving a lot of people a good, beneficial way to spend their time.