A determined granny says she has persuaded leisure chiefs to re-think their policy over communal changing rooms at Dundee swimming pools.
Mary Harwood is confident that thanks to her actions, children will no longer be at risk through having to get changed in mixed changing facilities before they go swimming at Lochee Leisure Centre, where the baths are being refurbished.
She said officials have agreed to include an enclosed family area and have also pledged that, in future, city swimming pools will have segregated facilities.
It comes after a meeting between Mrs Harwood and the managing director of Leisure and Culture Dundee, Stewart Murdoch.
Also present at the meeting was a city council architect, the manager of Olympia swimming pool and two other staff members. She said: “They took on board that in future all new builds should have segregated changing and changing facilities for families and the disabled.
“Mr Murdoch also thanked me for drawing attention to the issue. He said the publicity surrounding my campaign alerted people to the possible threat to their children when they go swimming.”
Mary began a campaign for segregated changing at Lochee Leisure Centre after she learned of council plans for a “changing village” there as part of a £1 million upgrade.
She said: “I was very concerned about the plans as I was aware of cases in which children had been filmed getting changed at Olympia.”
“Only recently a perpetrator was caught and charged.”
Mary said she accepted that because of the layout at the Lochee pool it would not be possible to change plans there completely, but added: “My meeting with Mr Murdoch was very constructive and all my questions and concerns were listened to and answered.”
A spokesman for Leisure and Culture Dundee said they did not comment on private meetings, but added: “We were very pleased with the outcome.”