‘Culture has been wrecked’: swimmers lament changes to Hampstead ponds

New fees have saddened many who use the area to connect with friends and nature

• Disabled woman begins legal action over Hampstead ponds fees

Micah Sami spent her teenage years swimming in the Hampstead ladies' pond. The freedom to access the water, or sit in the meadow, helped her cope whenever she wasn't feeling great.

But since the City of London Corporation (CoLC) enforced charges for the first time in the history of the ponds last year - and raised them again earlier this year, a move now the subject of a legal challenge - it doesn't feel the same.