Pool campaign becomes an official charity

A campaign group to save a town swimming pool and leisure centre has now become and official charity.

Published Mar 31, 2017

Last updated Mar 7, 2017

Don't Let The SpArC Go Out campaign charity trustees: Richard Whately, Kevin Bavastock, Graham Hemmings, Jean Shirley, Ruth Houghton, Mandy Cooke, Karen Bavastock, and Alan Doust, with Mathew Mead, Shropshire Council community enablement officer.

The Don't Let The SpArC Go Out campaign in support of Bishop's Castle's SpArC leisure centre has now registered with the Charity Commission and appointed its first Trustees.

Jean Shirley and Richard Whately, who have spearheaded the campaign over the past year are trustees, along with former mayor Karen Bavastock, Mandy Cooke, Alan Doust, Bishop’s Castle Community College head Alan Doust, Ruth Houghton representing Bishop’s Castle Town Council, raham Hemming, Kevin Bavastock representing the SpArC Advisory Group and Shropshire Councillor Jonny Keeley.

Richard said: "As a small community we have shown just how much we can achieve in a short time by working together, in so far raising over £60,000 and installing a new pool cover.

"Establishing the charity pulls all of this together and is a really positive next step for us."

The centre is threatened by loss of funding from Shropshire Council from 2018.