Hundreds back call for Market Drayton outdoor pool to reopen
Campaigners pressing for the reopening of Market Drayton's outdoor swimming pool said the recent heatwave would have seen families flocking to the facility.
A petition to reopen the pool, behind the swimming centre, now has 340 signatures, many saying how much they enjoyed it as children.
Good weather during half-term and last weekend's hottest temperatures of the year has led to renewed calls for its reopening.
Campaigners on the Open our Pool Facebook page said: "With all this glorious sunshine and heat we’ve been having wouldn’t the outdoor swimming pool be the perfect place to cool down and relax."
Signing the petition at the weekend, Chris Brown said: "Could we consider cold water swimming in the outdoor pool? It would be wonderful to be able to do this safely, and would be a different and cheaper offer to complement the heated indoor pool. There are also suspected health benefits to cold water immersion."
The outdoor facility has been closed for five years.
Both it and the indoor swimming centre are owned by Shropshire Council and run on the authority's behalf by the Shropshire Community Leisure Trust.
They say that before the 2016 closure visitor numbers had been falling and the pool's upkeep with associated lifeguard staffing costs had become financially unviable.
It was Elliott Powell, who remembers the pool being enjoyed by generations in his youth, who launched the petition, available to sign at change.org/p/shropshire-council-open-our-outdoor-swimming-pool-market-drayton/c/820343525
"The pool was closed in 2016 due to lack of interest from the community, cost and other factors that meant heavy investment and time. But the pool was busy and heavily-used in the past, said Mr Powell.
"I believe a children’s splash park that doesn’t need staff, a bigger pool that is fitted with the latest eco-friendly heating system and technology, will entice the community back to the pool all year round.
"Nantwich outdoor pool is successful and making money, and is open yearly. Why can’t we have the same here in Market Drayton?"
Town mayor, Councillor Roy Aldcroft, has said he hopes that the outdoor pool will be looked at again next summer.
Its reopening also has the backing of town councillor Tim Manton.
