In Pictures / Crowds gather as Scalloway swimming pool shuts
THE CURTAIN closed on 33 years of swimming at the Scalloway Pool last night (Tuesday) – but campaigners still hope the building could reopen in the future.
A fully booked session from 6pm to 7pm saw out the pool in style, with floats and balls in the pool as well as some adults putting in the lengths in a swim shaded by sadness.
A crowd of supporters of the Save Scalloway Pool campaign then descended on the facility to show their disappointment, and pose for some group photos too.
It was back in mid-January that operator Shetland Recreational Trust said it had decided to close one of its facilities to create a more sustainable operating model, and Scalloway was selected – partly due to its proximity to Lerwick and the Clickimin Leisure Complex.
A petition by the Save Scalloway Pool campaign gained nearly 5,000 signatures in total, and was handed into the SRT and its core funder Shetland Charitable Trust (SCT), as well as Scalloway Community Council chairman Lawson Bisset and local councillors.
Speaking as the pool building was preparing to shut, Bisset said he hoped that SRT, the charitable trust and SIC will now come together to discuss potential solutions.
His view was that Shetland Islands Council (SIC) “doesn’t have enough money, the SRT doesn’t have enough money and the SCT doesn’t have enough money” – but he suggested it could be “split three ways”.
It comes after a motion was passed by councillors last week on the SIC’s partnership with the SRT.
Campaigner Yvonne Clark expressed her hope that the pool would re-open in the future, as did Shetland South councillor Alex Armitage, who attended the gathering.
He also got the crowd singing We Shall Not Be Moved, which can be seen in the video below.
Meanwhile someone watching the story unfold over the last couple of months is Alan Mcleod, who worked as a lifeguard when the pool opened in 1993 but now lives south.
He reflected on how the opening weekend was “huge” in Scalloway.
“You could tell how important it was for the community,” Mcleod said.
“The pool was an incredible facility – very well used from children to pensioners. It’s very sad to see it go.”
For now, the SRT said it will retain ownership of the building for a longer period of time and has agree to maintain the fabric and fittings of the building in the “best way possible” to allow for consideration of continued use.
It said this is to give the community “further opportunity to suggest alternatives and allow the possibility of reopening should a sustainable long-term solution be identified”.
The SRT accounts for the period through to 31 March 2025 highlights that all of its fixed assets are used for “charitable purposes”.
It said a number of its assets, including the Scalloway pool, cannot be disposed of without the permission of Shetland Charitable Trust.
“If permission is forthcoming, these assets must be offered in the first instance to Shetland Charitable Trust, or their nominee, for nominal consideration,” it added.
Meanwhile Scalloway pool staff are moving to the Clickimin, where the Learn To Swim classes are set to begin later in April.
On Tuesday SRT trustees paid tribute to the staff who have worked in the pool over the last three decades, as well as the many customers and community organisations who have supported it.
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