Bridgnorth swimming pool open again after 10 months
After 10 months and £300,000, Bridgnorth's only community swimming pool is open to the public again.
Bridgnorth Endowed Leisure Centre's pool was closed last September after structural issues were discovered when builders were working on an unrelated changing room refurbishment.
The total bill for the repairs for the pool came to £300,000, which had to be raised on top of an additional £311,000 for the centre's refurbishment - which included a new gym, spin studio and new changing rooms.
The funds for the new changing rooms were put towards the swimming pool repairs and now, after a donation of £30,000 from Shropshire Council and the same from Bridgnorth Town Council, about £7,000 still needs to be raised before the work on the changing rooms can be completed.
Campaigner for Help Our Pool Bridgnorth, Nancy Brown, said residents have been "waiting and waiting" for the pool to reopen.
She said: "It's a huge relief for people in the town. I represent the swimming families and we've been waiting and waiting for it to reopen and the kids are desperate for it to reopen, they cant wait.
"All the children have been rebooked onto their swimming lessons, a few have gone elsewhere but the majority have been waiting for it to reopen.
"It's fabulous, free swimming all weekend and back to lessons on Monday.
"We're still in a position where we've got £6,500 to raise. We've had a couple of really generous donations and we've done a tombola, we're doing really well.
"There will be volunteers at the pool to welcome people and if anyone wants to donate that would be gratefully received.
"There's also a charity golf day organised on September 19, we're still looking for teams for that. I've also organised a school disco for the first week in September with a bouncy castle and face painting, hopefully that should hit the fundraising target then."
Bridgnorth Endowed School, on the same site, took over the centre, including the pool which was built in the 1970s, from Shropshire Council 18 months ago.
For more information search Help Our Pool Bridgnorth on Facebook, or visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/Bridgnorthpool
