'It is breathtakingly beautiful'

The Tooting Bec Lido has played a central role in the lives of Deborah Wright and Andrew Ingamells and their three children Harry, six, Arthur, four, and Robert, nine months. It was where the couple met and, when they decided to get married, they looked for a home within easy reach of the pool.

"Being close to the lido also influenced my choice of job," says Wright. "Before the children arrived, I worked in central London and could swim first thing in the morning. But after Harry was born I got a job as a social worker attached to a local hospital.

"It covers the area around the lido, so I can have a swim at lunchtime." Wright swam through all her pregnancies, even winning the South London Swimming Club's Christmas Day ladies' race when she was 39 weeks pregnant."Very sweetly, the club decided to put Harry's name on the trophy."

The couple make a point of visiting other lidos and have a soft spot for open-air pools in Chagford in Devon, Ilkley in West Yorkshire and Hathersage in Derbyshire. But, according to Wright, nothing beats the Tooting Bec Lido.

"It is a fantastic place. On a still day, with the green of the surrounding trees and the colours of the doors reflected on the water, it is breathtakingly beautiful."