Funds secured to improve Wem pool
Campaigners have secured £10,000 towards their £40,000 target to be able to carry out improvements to a swimming centre.
It means they need to raise a further £30,000 before work can start on building a new gym and viewing area at Wem Swimming and Lifestyle Centre in Bowens Field.
Plans for the new facilities were recently given planning approval by Shropshire Council.
Cadi Price, secretary of the Friends of Wem Pool, said: "We have raised a further £10,000 this month so just £30,000 to raise before we can start the build, or 60 donations of £500. We can do it!
"Then we can watch our children swim from the re-established viewing area.
"We need people's help to achieve this please."
Malcolm Adkins, member of the group, added: "We have had some money from a housing group and another group who has funds for the Shropshire and the Welsh area.
"We have also got someone else saying they are interested in funding new equipment for the new gym.
"It still leaves us short but we have got two strategies – one is to carry on approaching local businesses and funding agencies, and the other one, in probably about June, will be a community share issue.
"Once the gym is funded the next stage will be to improve the exercise studio."
In a council meeting in December, Wem Town Council agreed to allocate up to £40,000 to part-fund the gym extension.
The £40,000 funding from the council will only be available for use once sufficient funding has been raised to cover the whole project. The Friends of Wem Pool said it will need a total of £115,000 for the gym and viewing area.
