Last week, Julian met with Colin Coleman and Chris Hirst, Chair and Trustee of the Settle Area Swimming Pool, to discuss some of the difficulties it is currently facing.
Along with pools across the country, high energy prices as a result of Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine are adding real strain to the pool’s finances. While the Government has opened a £60 million fund for local authorities to both support facilities with increased cost pressures and to improve the energy efficiency of pools in the longer term, Settle Area Swimming Pool was unfortunately not one of the 193 successful bids in the first round.
The pool, which Julian re-opened just over a year ago following a refurbishment, is a fantastic local facility that sees nearly 450 people attending weekly on average. It also provides swimming lessons to an additional 360 local children, and eight schools use the facilities every fortnight as part of the National Curriculum.
The pool offers services from standard swimming sessions and water safety survival skills to aqua aerobics and special sessions reserved for disabled and older swimmers. The facility’s fitSpace also offers fitness and flexibility sessions, a meeting space for community groups, and soft play and musical education for toddlers.
Julian thanked Colin and Chris for their hard-work and that of the fifteen staff and over forty volunteers who make the running of the facility possible. The focus now is on helping the pool onto a sustainable financial pathway in the face of continued high energy prices.
Julian Smith said, “It was great to meet Colin and Chris for an update last week.
“I’m really pleased to hear how popular the facility is with residents and the brilliant array of services that it offers; it’s crucial that we find a way to ensure that it can continue doing so for years to come.
“I’d strongly encourage local residents to make use of the great facilities the pool has to offer.”
