Re-open the Gateway Swimming Pool - Tiffield

The Gateway swimming pool has been an asset to the local community providing a pool for local swim schools to hire and offer lessons to children and adults for many years. It was heavily used and relied upon in the South Northants area where there is a distinct lack of community swimming pools. Prior to the national lockdown in March 2020, the 5 main Swim Schools who hired the pool collectively taught over 1500 children each week in the local area.

It has come to our attention that the Gateway School is unable to re-open the pool facilities post the National Lockdown measures easing in April 2021, due to lack of financial support from the local council. The closure of swimming pools is a local and a national travesty that needs to be addressed. Children are losing out not only on a life-skill but on their physical and mental health wellbeing.

Nationally up to one million children have missed out on swimming over the past year, including in school lessons which are a statutory part of the national curriculum to ensure that every 11-year-old can swim at least one 25m length. Children and families need to have this life skill re-instated as a matter of urgency. Drowning is the third highest cause of death among children, making learning to swim vital. Our children's physical and mental health is being severally impacted from the loss of swimming and our swim schools are being inundated with messages from the families of our local area asking for lessons. Coupled with this we are missing Towcester Centre for Leisure due to it's closure for re-furbishment which is driving local demand further.

We must not allow the Gateway in Tiffield to become one of the countless Swimming Pools that closes simply due to lack of funding.