Skelmersdale’s local swimming facilities have been under investigation by the West Lancashire Borough Council, who have found that the brutalist style buildings should be permanently closed and replaced.
Nye Bevan leisure centre is one of two facilities that the council’s investigation has concluded that there are too many issues with the facility to keep it operating for the foreseeable future.
Itself and a nearby facility in Ormskirk ‘Park pool’ have been deemed by the local council as too much of a financial burden on their leisure funding to keep open.
The council said in a recent meeting “The current costs to keep Nye Bevan and Park Pool operating this year alone would cost £1.2 million, which is massively over the threshhold budget of £700,000”.
Members of the local Skelmersdale community have spoken out against the council to argue that the Nye Bevan swimming centre is a vital part of the community.
Seven schools in the Skelmersdale area use the pool for their primary school curriculum requirement of every child, confidently and proficiently swimming a distance of at least 25 metres.
Without the facility the schools say that there is no feasible way they can provide swimming lessons for children as there are not any other options nearby, as they are either at full capacity with schools already signed up to them or are too far to travel to.
A local community Facebook page called ‘Skelmersdale First’ has been in open opposition against the Lancashire Council since the announcement.
They brought an open discussion against the council to find an alternative decision for the facilities, in a recent post they said: “Nye Bevan Pool has had only £4000 of capital works in the past TEN years and Park Pool only £22k. 2178 consultation responses were made to the public consultation – a record-breaking number by a country mile”.
Because of their work the council have extended their review of the swimming facility to discover other options for the centre’s future.
Swimming teacher Neil Thomas has worked as a private instructor in the Skelmersdale area for over 30 years. He is a British Olympic swimmer and a British Long Distance Swimming Champion who has worked with all generations of the community at Nye Bevan Swimming Pool.
Neil is determined to see Nye Bevan remain open for all the community.
“It is not only me and my swimmers who are affected but also clubs like Burscough Diving Club, Skelmersdale Lifesavers, and Phoenix Sub Aqua Club, all depend on the facility too. Local schools use the pool every day, and there are weekend and after school swimming lessons and we have two very well-equipped gyms at the centre.
“Every day we have people in this pool of all ages, I feel incredibly proud that people do keep coming back here and making changes for their health because in the end that is what this place is all about, improving your physical and mental health,” said Neil.
Currently the council’s review is still underway and thanks to the help of the community it is likely the Nye Bevan swimming facility will be granted other options of sustainability, either by private investment or partial closure.
