Training pool back open after £40,000 upgrade

A VILLAGE swimming pool has formally re-opened after being “saved” by £40,000 of donations from the community.

Sonning Common Swimming Pool, located at the primary school in Grove Road, was closed for six weeks during the summer so outdated fixtures, tiles and flooring were replaced.

A crowdfunding campaign, launched by the school in May, raised £14,000 and was matched by Sport England.

An additional £20,000 is still being raised to refurbish the changing rooms, which has raised £15,500 so far.

The pool, which re-opened last month, had an official unveiling on Tuesday last week with guests from supporting organisations and groups.

This included Harmony Choir, TG Gym and Wellness and Henley Lions Club.

Henley MP Freddie van Mierlo and county councillor Leigh Rawlins also attended.

Headteacher Rachel Salmons, who organised the campaign with Penny Snowden and Cate Sturgess, thanked supporters.

She said that prior to the work, the school caretaker had needed to spend an hour each week “with a snorkel on” repairing tiles that had come loose.

Mrs Salmons said: “The pool now looks amazing, somehow it looks like we’ve made it bigger. It just feels like somewhere where you would want to swim yourself because it absolutely didn’t really before.

“We think about 5,000 children have learned to swim in the pool. We’re dedicated to keeping something for our whole community.”

Councillor Rawlins, who lives in the village, said: “It’s vital that kids learn to swim. I also think that it’s a good developmental thing for them because there is obviously a slight fear of water, to overcome that fear and to feel confident that you can swim a little way, that’s one of those steps in life that’s quite important.”

Mrs Snowden said she first learned about the project while on a walk with Mrs Salmons in March, who told her she was uncertain about how to fund the repairs.

She said: “My daughter teaches here, my children both came here, they both learned to swim in the pool, so I offered to be the community person.”

She said that the team was on a tight time frame, as the school wanted the pool to be re-opened in time for September to avoid losing money on bookings and force swim schools who use the facility to move elsewhere.

Mrs Snowden said: “It was absolutely time critical. Cate Sturgess filled in endless application forms but the office were brilliant in finding out information about who was using the pool and when.

“If communities don’t come together to support things within their community, facilities like this just will go to wrack and ruin and then they will become a problem for the landscape and a problem for the environment.

“So, if we can get the money raised, you can keep stuff going and avoid them being problems for the planet as well.”

Julie Barnett, who has taught swimming at the school for
23 years, said: “It’s just a great facility for the local community and I’m really pleased that they have managed to keep it going.”

Jess Moss, administrator at the parish council, said: “I learned to swim here almost
30 years ago and my children now learn to swim here. It’s just an amazing asset to the village, we’re so lucky to have it.”

The pool, which was built in 1975, is used by 750 people per week including students from schools throughout the area as well as mums and toddlers groups. It is managed by the school on a not-for-profit basis and is reliant on income from swimming lessons and bookings.

Donations included £5,000 from Sonning Common Parish Council, £5,000 from the Shanly Foundation, £1,000 from Active Oxfordshire, £500 from Chiltern Edge Community Association, £1,000 from Harmony Choir and £500 from Henley Lions Club.