Sheffield Swimming Pool To Reopen After Public Campaign

After a month-long campaign by swimming clubs, Sheffield Council has announced it will open the Ponds Forge swimming club.

Initially, it was set to remain closed until 2021 as with swimming pool maintenance costs of £1.5m, the trust that oversees the pool deemed it too expensive to reopen, according to an open letter on the Sheffield City Trust website.

However, after protests that the Olympic sized swimming pool, one of only ten in the UK, was not set to reopen as part of the £15m campaign to reopen many of Sheffield’s public facilities, Sheffield Council reported its intention to reopen the pool, with a formal decision set to be made at the 23rd September cabinet meeting, according to the BBC.

Cabinet member for culture, parks and leisure, Cllr Mary Lea, noted in a scrutiny meeting that the Council intended to reopen the pool around the beginning of October.

Whilst a surprise move from Sheffield Council, it has not been an unwelcome one. As many as 300 jobs were at risk as a result of a long term closure, and due to its use as a training ground with Olympic-standard facilities, there was a significant concern that future water sports athletes in the North-East could be affected.

Council officers have received a request to find the £1.5m required to reopen the facility, with a report to be published before the next cabinet meeting.

Given the importance in providing adequate facilities to foster the ambitions of young athletes and maintain a legacy from the 2012 Olympics, providing major facilities such as these will be critical to avoiding a lost generation of swimming stars disrupted by the current circumstances.

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