Big turnout as voices grow in opposition to Scalloway pool closure
THE CHORUS of calls to “save Scalloway pool” was amplified earlier today (Sunday) as around 150 people gathered outside the building to make their voices heard.
People of all ages attended ahead of the planned closure of the facility at the end of March, including children, parents, local councillors and some candidates for the upcoming Scottish Parliament election.
The event was organised by the action group behind the ongoing ‘Save Scalloway pool’ petition, which has gained more than 2,600 signatures.
With the pool well used for swimming lessons both via its operator Shetland Recreational Trust (SRT) as well as through schools, the message from bairns at Sunday’s event was clear – they do not want it to close.
Maya, 6, said she goes to the Scalloway pool for lessons but “would like to swim in it every single day”.
“I just don’t want it to close,” Tabitha added, while her sister Eliza said it has “great staff, and great water”.
“It’s the best pool in the world,” she said.
Meanwhile Emily said “I love the pool because it has so much stuff to use, and it’s so big”.
Niamh, 8, said “I feel sad” while her friend Lily, 8, said “I don’t want it to shut”.
Last month the SRT said its trustees had reached a decision to close the Scalloway swimming pool at the end of March.
The SRT said it was attempting to secure its wider long-term sustainability by consolidating leisure provision in Shetland.
Services will move to other pools, and all staff currently employed in Scalloway will be supported and given the opportunity to relocate to other SRT sites.
The trust, a charity core funded by the Shetland Charitable Trust, said it had to reduce the size of its estate due to ongoing financial challenges, with the Scalloway pool ultimately picked due to factors including its proximity to Lerwick and public transport availability.
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The SRT also said it was inviting interested parties to participate in discussions to explore how the building could be retained or repurposed.
Petition organiser Yvonne Clark said there was an “incredible turnout” at Sunday’s event despite the weather.
“It just shows the strength of opinion of people, and there’s not just people from Scalloway here, there’s people from Trondra and Burra and further afield,” she said.
Clark said people use the pool for a variety of reasons, from rehabilitation and additional support needs to older folk going for a swim.
“It’s just a well used pool and it’s going to be a huge loss to the community if it does eventually close,” she said.
Also in attendance was Davie Sandison, who chairs Shetland Islands Council’s education and families committee as well as the Scalloway Community Development Company (SCDC).
He said SCDC, “like lots of groups, have requested substantial amounts of information” from the SRT.
“Until we have that information, it’s very difficult to form a view about what alternatives might be available,” Sandison added.
“Right now my focus from Scalloway Community Development Company and any other hat I might wear, is I want this stopped – not delayed, not mitigated, but stopped.”
Scalloway Community Council also previously requested more information on the decision-making process by SRT trustees, and it should hear back by mid-February.
A FAQs section about the SRT’s decision can be found on its website.
In it the trust said it was a “difficult and regrettable decision” but “operating costs and projected future expenses mean it is no longer financially sustainable to run all our current facilities”.
Under a question entitled ‘Why Scalloway?” the trust said: “As unwelcome as it may be, this action ensures a sustainable business model for SRT and will have the least community impact due to the proximity to the nearby available sites, which have capacity to absorb the customer numbers.
“From door to door, it is only seven miles in distance to travel from Scalloway to Clickimin in Lerwick. We can see from data that many of the customers who use Scalloway are travelling from wider areas and can redirect with less impact than comparable for other sites.”
Anyone with questions about the closure is encouraged to contact mail@srt.org.uk.
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