Once upon a time (and not that long ago) Maldon had large outside Lido in the Promenade park. This feature was very popular with locals and had people coming in from miles away, year after year. It had a small beach and people could paddle, swim or muck around if small boats and lilos in the water. The elevated grass banks offered further seating or sunbathing space and the tress offered shade as needed. All in all it was a great feature and sorely missed by many.

Next two pictures taken in 1999.

However, in 2002 after someone had an accident in the Lido, the health and safety brigade backed by the people's favorite council decided that 'for our own benefit' this water was far too dangerous for us voting public to enjoy anymore and used our cash to turn this favored feature into a useless ornamental pond that is of no benefit to anyone. It's not that I particularly dislike the duck pond, but it replaced a fantastic outdoor feature which was used by thousands of people each year. A large number of people tried to stop the closure and there have been a number of protests since, but this is not what the council wants so we are stuck with this pond. They have even erected a fence around the pond to stop people from using the water. Maldon and the surrounding areas is festoon with waterways and ponds, so it's not as if this duck pond offers anything to anyone and they spent a bucket load of our cash providing something that seems generally unwanted.

The following picture was taken in 2006. Just ask yourself, what you'd prefer given the choice !!!