Record-Breaking Season at Abbey Meadow Pool!
Published 21 October 2025
This summer was a record breaker for Abbey Meadow outdoor pool in Abingdon with nearly 30,000 visitors coming to enjoy the facility.
Vale of White Horse District Council and its leisure provider, GLL, who manage the pool, kiosk and splash pad for the council agreed a slightly earlier opening of the pool for summer season this year, and visitor numbers were double that from 2024.
As well as the slightly longer season, the rise in users of the pool is being attributed to a great summer of warm weather which had residents flocking to the pool and splash pad.
Over the summer there was a wide range of activities for people to enjoy, including school private hires at the start of the season, Toddler Splash, and themed sessions such as Pirates and Mermaids, Outer Space, and Underwater Creatures. The Better team also ran National Trial a Sport Day, Toddler World and Soft Play sessions.
The final weekend saw the return of the ever-popular Doggy Swims, where dogs and their owners enjoyed a splash together. Of the five sessions offered, three were fully booked, highlighting the event’s continued popularity.
Cllr Andrew Crawford, Cabinet Member for Property and Housing at Vale of White Horse District Council said: “It’s fantastic to see that more families and swimmers than ever are enjoying our outdoor leisure spaces.
“Friends of Abbey Meadow Outdoor Pool gathered feedback from residents and users of the pool and splash pad, with comments about users having a wonderful time this year and how they see it as a great part of Abingdon.
“This record-breaking season at Abbey Meadow Pool reflects our commitment to providing high-quality, accessible leisure facilities for residents, and to improve our health and wellbeing provision.”
Kevin Williams Partnership Manager – South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse at GLL said: “With an extended season, stretching from mid-June to Monday 8 September and a summer heatwave, we welcomed nearly 30,000 visitors to Abbey Meadow Pool this year, a 100 per cent increase on 2024.
“New innovations included the introduction of Toddlers World and Soft Play, along with Toddlers Splash and a number of themed children’s activities including a Teddy Bears Picnic. We signed off the season with our ever-popular Dog Swim, which made a splash with the local canine population. We’ll be looking to build on these successes in 2026.”
Vale of White Horse District Council will continue to work with GLL to review this year’s results and also feedback gathered by the group Friends of Abbey Meadow Outdoor Pool in September, to plan for summer 2026 based on the continued popularity of these outdoor facilities.
