Members of the Holywell Mead Pool Group got into the festive mood on 19th December with a winter ‘carol swimming’ dip in the outdoor pool at Hampton.
Grahame Hadden, chairman of the Hampton Pool Trust invited the Holywell Mead Pool members to the special “festive mood-lit” swim session with carol singing.
Mr Hadden, a supporter and advisor to the Holywell Mead Pool Group, said: “The popularity of our Christmas swim sessions just goes to show what can be achieved with enthusiasm, initiative and smart marketing. Open air pools can have a future.”
The pool, in Middlesex, was re-opened in 1985 by a not for profit charity set up by residents of the local community. It is open 365 days a year and attracts more than 130,000 visitors. The festive swim event has become a tradition with local residents with over 1500 swims on Christmas Day alone.
Mr Hadden added: “I was at the public meeting that the Holywell group held back in October. It was clear to me that evening that there is a very strong desire in the local community to save the pool.”
“If that energy can be focused and the council can be persuaded to listen then I think that Wycombe has a chance of getting its outdoor pool re-open.”
Group member Rachel Fryer who used to swim regularly at Holywell Mead pool said of the festive swim: “ It was wonderful, like Holywell, Hampton pool is heated so it was quite an experience to see the snow on the ground and the steam rising of the pool.”
Wycombe District Ramblers joined forces with members of Trinity United Reformed Church and the Holywell Mead Group on the 12th December to show their support to save Holywell Mead Pool from permanent closure.
Mandy Williams, a member of the Wycombe branch of the Ramblers Association, organised a 5-mile walk that started from the front doors of the closed pool and finished at the newly refurbished Church for a special carol service.
Mrs Williams has been using the pool since she moved to the area 26 years ago, and used to take her children there when they were young.
Nearly 3000 people lent their support and their names to the pool group’s petition earlier this year. Mandy had 66 names added to the petition by members of the Ramblers Association.
“There is clearly a lot of local affection for this pool. People are upset that the pool was not open this year with the lovely weather we had – it would have been great for families on a tight budget this year”
The following letters have been sent to the Bucks Free Press in response to the Public Meeting our group held on the 13th October 2009. Well worth a read.
The following questions have been submitted by our group to Wycombe District Council, to request answers about Holywell Mead Swimming Pool, under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. In response Wycombe District Council have stated, that due to the nature of the request requiring further investigation, they will respond by the 30th October.
1. Has the pool been included in any recent strategy discussions?
2. Has the Council decided that the pool will remain closed long-term?
3. Is the pool and any part of the Rye part of a development strategy?
4. Has the Council discussed demolishing the facility?
5. What are the plans for the Holywell Mead pool site?
6. How much will it cost the Council to secure the site for public health and safety per year?
7. How much will it cost the Council to demolish the site if this is the plan?
We will update our website with the answers to our questions once we have received them.
Those of you were able to attend our public meeting last week may have seen the film crew capturing the events as they unfolded.
The crew consisted of students from Amersham & Wycombe College undertaking a ‘news report’ task as part of their college coursework. They had contacted our group, prior to the meeting, to see if we could help them with their project. The results of their project can now be viewed on You Tube. Click on the following link.
The Bucks Free Press have covered the story and the making of the film on their website.
Well done to Tim and his crew. We hope you get top marks for your report.
We would like to say a big thank you for attending, helping and participating in last night’s public meeting – it was a pleasure to meet so many people who care about their community and were giving up their time to support this very important issue for our current and future generations. Go to our Photo Gallery for some pictures.
How sad that we are still facing the pool being demolished and we are still no wiser as to what it will be replaced with – however we know it will NOT be a pool – and we know that a pool will not be an option in any future use.
How sad that the steering group (which is simply a local community group who care about the local community facilities available to us all) is still being treated as a hostile supplier bidding for a business opportunity – our intentions are simple – channel the goodwill of the local and wider community for the benefit of the local and wider community by supporting the pool and sustaining its present and future direction.
If you care about our pool, the wider Holywell Mead and Rye area and something for our community to use and gain pleasure from, now is the time the town needs your help – please support the steering groups work and please voice your displeasure at how this issue is being managed and the lack of public consultation.
The Bucks Free Press have an article covering last nights events on their website.
Our heartfelt thanks to all those supporters last night and all those who have given up many months of their time to support this issue.
Our group is holding a public meeting on Tuesday 13th October 7pm til 9pm at the Environment Centre next to the Holywell Mead Outdoor Pool on the Rye.
The meeting will explain what has happened since the decision was made to close the pool, an outline of the business plan that was subsequently declined and a discussion on a future way forward. This is where we need your help.
It is really important that you come and give your views so that our campaign group can take on board the opinion of local residents and supporters of the pool.
Please invite friends and neighbours so we can have a really useful discussion about how to save our pool.
TELEVISION celebrity Fern Britton has sent a message of support to campaigners fighting to save High Wycombe’s Holywell Mead Swimming Pool from long-term closure.
Mother-of-four Fern, who lives near High Wycombe told campaigners: “The young people of High Wycombe need as much healthy outdoor activity as possible. To close down such a unique pool would be very short-sighted of our generally good council.”
The Trust Steering Group put together a Business Plan which it hoped would safeguard the long-term future of the pool and presented it to the council’s cabinet but the council dismissed the plan.
Neil Bailey, chair of the Holywell Mead Pool Trust Steering Group said: It’s great to have such a high profile local personality offering words of support. The health of young people and having such facilities available is essential. Once they have gone they have disappeared forever and we must not let this happen.”
Following the council’s rejection of the Business Plan, the group have offered to become Friends of Holywell Mead Pool. Committee members have offered the council their time and expertise to generate awareness with a marketing campaign, fundraise, help maintain the building and use their substantial database of local people wishing to assist with re-opening the pool.
Neil Bailey, Chair of our Holywell Mead Pool Trust Steering Group, led the presentation of our outline plan to Wycombe District Council on the 11th June. Our plan focuses on creating an all-year facility, creating a destination for families and the provision of swimming lessons for local youngsters in the area.
Phase one of our plan includes upgrading the current paddling pool and turning it into a teaching pool, upgrading the changing rooms and adding a child-friendly aquatic play area.
Upgrading the facility would create business and revenue generation opportunities which would ensure the venue became self-funding.
Mr Bailey said: “The meeting was very positive and we thank the Cabinet for giving us time to present our outline Business Plan. The Cabinet members and officers had a lot of questions about our proposals and have requested a more detailed financial plan that we are now working on. We are confident we can provide a robust and realistic proposal.
“In the meantime, we now need the community to express their level of support for our proposal and to give us their views on how they would like to see the facility progress, what sort of charges they would be willing to pay to use the pool and if they would consider a membership scheme. We are not asking for money, but we need the community to give us an indication of the level of support they are willing to make to keep this vital facility open.”
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