‘Save our pool’ says Leicester Penguins Swim Club
The proposed closure of New Parks Leisure Centre
We at Leicester Media have received the following email from Leicester Penguins Swim Club asking for local support.
Please can you help share our story on how the closure of New Parks Leisure Centre will massively impact our club and swimmers.
Firstly, as a club that uses the pool for 6 hours a week, we were not informed of the proposed closure until yesterday after the consultation went live and posters were put on the front desk as we arrived for our training session.
As far as I am aware, paying customers are still yet to be informed of the proposed closure. The leisure centre has put very small posters around the building which do not clearly state that the pool is closing. I believe the title is 'Have your say on the future of New Parks and Beaumont Leys Leisure Centres'.
This is not informative enough, and clearly, they want no pushback from the public so that they are able to proceed with their plans of closure.
The proposed closure will have a huge impact on our swim club and members as no local leisure centre has the ability to accommodate us, meaning we will have to relocate. We are not the only swim club that uses this pool; Braunstone Swim Club and City of Leicester also hold training sessions here.
A lot of our swimmers live in the surrounding areas and may not have transportation in order to access a new location; this is taking away their ability to train and exercise in a sport they enjoy.
Not only is this affecting swimming clubs, it is also affecting the local community. For a lot of children and families in the surrounding area, this is the only accessible way they can take part in swimming and sports.
Closing the leisure centre will mean fewer opportunities for young people and potentially much longer journeys to find alternative venues.
Places such as Braunstone already have limited public swimming time due to swim clubs and learn to swim, with the addition of New Parks learn to swim, this public swim time will be reduced again.
Considering the number of children and adults this year that have sadly drowned, it is vital that we keep our pools open to allow people to learn to swim and develop.
We are being very active on our social media with getting the news out there and encouraging as many people as possible to participate in the consultation -https://consultations.leicester.gov.uk/comms/leicester-leisure-centre-investment-programme/consultation/intro/
