Who are the FoNSP?
Northleach swimming pool is a small, outdoor, heated pool located off the playing field behind the pavilion and school. The pool is run by a small committee of volunteers for the local community and opens for public and school use as well as private hire during the summer season.
Last year, the new committee worked tirelessly to open for more sessions than it had been open for in 2021, despite a few hiccups. This was largely thanks to a mild September meaning that we could remain open later in the year. We would love to see the pool open earlier this year and welcome families from Northleach and the wider area.
images of the paint work carried out last year after being closed for 2 years.
Why do we need funding?
The FoNSP are beginning to plan for Summer ‘24. In the autumn, we prepared the pool area for the winter and took advice from professionals on the works needed to reopen this year. There is a combination of annual costs and some periodical ones.
The annual costs, including painting, chemicals, oil tank maintenance and biological testing, are estimated at £3,000. The necessary upgrades including a new roof on the boiler shed and security strips on the fences are an additional cost of approximately £4,000.
Without this work we will be unable to open this year. This is not a finite list of all costs to reopen as once these works are done we will still have the running costs and lifeguard training to factor for. We also have an ongoing list of other work for the future to ensure the longevity of the pool.
The boiler shed roof that needs replacing and showing the damp beams below.
Photos of the other works needed to open this year.
1. Repair and paint bars of hanging hooks in both the boys and girls changing rooms.
2. Rub down and repaint plant room doors and gate.
3. Spray fence panels with another coat of paint.
4. Clean and repoint concrete paving slabs levelling some slabs.
5. Re-bed some seating slabs and repaint.
6. Provide suitable paint for 6 benches which ‘The Men in Sheds’ have kindly volunteered to apply.
7. Attach security strips to top of fencing.
8. Replace the pool safety rope.
9. Purchase RLSS Torpedo Bouy.
How can we ensure the future of the pool?
To ensure the long term future of the pool, we will need to carry out some much larger projects over the next few years. These include changing from an oil fuel boiler to a more sustainable energy source, potentially solar panels and an air source heat pump, as well as purchasing a winter pool cover to protect it from freezing and other damage when not in use. The pool itself will eventually need to have a liner fitted and new safety rails. These are ongoing projects and we hope to begin to build our savings through fundraising to go towards these.