12:19pm Tuesday 2nd June 2009
Actor and singer Jerome Flynn has thrown his weight behind the campaign to save St Davids swimming pool.
The pool is due to be closed by Pembrokeshire County Council at 1pm this Sunday, June 7th, despite tireless campaigning by the St Davids Community pool group.
The council plans to demolish the pool, which it says is in poor condition, and build a new sports hall on the site.
The pool group says that the facility is well-used and provides an essential service in teaching local children to swim. It was built over 30 years ago following a spate of drownings in and around the sea side city.
Tomorrow (Wednesday) the last ever annual St Davids provincial primary schools swimming gala will be held at the pool.
Jerome Flynn, star of Soldier Soldier and London's Burning, who went on to enjoy chart success as part of duo Robson and Jerome, will attend the gala to lend his support to the swimmers.
He has been visiting the area since he was a child and settled in Pembrokeshire 18 months ago.
More than 100 children will say an emotional goodbye to the pool during the gala which has run annually for 35 years and marks the culmination of a year’s swimming lessons.
“It is the highlight of their school year, coming at the end of a whole year of working hard and learning new strokes," said pool manager Julie Evans.
"All the kids get medals and they really look forward to it every year. There is a great trophy for the winning school, it’s just unfortunate that whoever wins it this year will have to keep it for good.”
When the pool closes children will have to be bussed to either Fishguard or Haverfordwest pool to learn to swim.
Chris Cousens of the pool group said the decision to close the pool on Sunday has: "Shocked and saddened the local community. In particular the local primary school children for whom the pool is a great source of enjoyment and a vital safety lifeline."
The pool group has also submitted a complaint to the public services ombudsman detailing over 70 specific complaints including failure to consult, failure to carry out a social and environmental impact analysis and reneging on promises to keep the pool open until the planning process was “sealed and delivered”.
"In the event that the ombudsman upholds our complaint, we believe that it will be incumbent on Pembrokeshire County Council to build a new pool in St Davids if the existing pool has been demolished in the meantime," said Mr Cousens.
Pembrokeshire County Council spokesman, Len Mullins, confirmed that the pool would close on Sunday despite the complaint lodged with the ombudsman. Mr Mullins said that no date had yet been set for the demolition of the pool.
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