Bucksburn locals have come together to fight Aberdeen City Council’s decision to shut its swimming pool.
More than 3,000 people have signed an online petition calling for the pool to be saved with many leaving comments about the impact the closure will have on the community.
A public meeting will be held in the Beacon Centre at 7pm on Tuesday to brainstorm ideas which could potentially reverse the decision or allow a group to take control of the facility.
Sport Aberdeen confirmed yesterday that Bucksburn Swimming Pool would close permanently on Sunday, April 16, after the organisation’s funding was reduced by £687,000.
Aberdeen City Council made the cut as part of its efforts to plug a £46.6 million funding gap.
Members were sent an email which stated the closure was necessary to protect the “long-term interests” of the charity, with the pool requiring £400,000 of “unfeasible” machinery repairs.
Pool used by all ages
Bucksburn Swimming Pool first opened more than three decades ago after the community spent years fundraising and campaigning for it to be built.
Residents have shared their anger that the facility, which was raised by the community, has fallen into disrepair and will now be removed.
For many, the pool was big part of their childhoods and became a place they brought their own children to later in life.
Mother-of-two Kirsty Fraser decided to organise a community meeting after seeing the online uproar about the closure.
“Even if it doesn’t lead to anything, we can say we tried to do something,” she said.
“It’s such a well-used pool so the closure will have such an impact on families, the community is in uproar about it.
“My 11-year-old son has used this pool his whole life, he did his lessons there and now he’s at the age where he meets his friends after school to go swimming together, it’s really been a saving grace for him.
“It’s one of the main pillars for children here in the community to keep themselves busy and swimming is a life-saving skill to learn. Where are the kids who can’t access another pool going to learn how to swim?”
Home base for swimming club
The Bucksburn Amateur Swimming Club has used the pool as a home base for the past 25 years and train there up to four times a week.
It currently has a record 77 members aged between eight and 19 who will be displaced by the closure.
Mark Brown, president of the club, said they are all nervous about the future.
“When we went through Covid, at least we knew Bucksburn was still there,” he said. “We still had a home pool to go back to. The kids are all close to the community themselves so they don’t want to lose that.
“Bucksburn will always be a club, but we won’t have a home pool. And the community has lost a massive resource – it will hurt everyone.
“A lot of swimmers have gone through the pool from just the club, and so many more have benefited from that facility being there. All the swimming lessons are fully booked, the elderly use it for fitness, while young children use it to get used to the water.
“Ultimately, children will miss out on learning to swim and effectively getting into clubs and to a competitive level.”
Lack of alternatives
One of the main concerns raised by the community is the lack of alternative pools they can use.
Kevin Morice has suggested changes are made to the Dyce Swimming Pool schedule so more people can use the facilities, which are located about three miles away.
“Dyce is sitting there unused,” he said. “They’re heating it, maintaining it, it’s well-looked after but it’s only open to the school during school hours. There’s a huge expense there but essentially many using it.”
The 46-year-old is world number six in Cross Duathlon and trains at the Bucksburn pool several times a week.
“If they take that away, I almost certainly won’t be able to compete again beyond this year,” he added. “Closing the pool feels like an extreme solution.
“There’s a knock-on effect which I don’t think has been considered. Everyone from Bucksburn who wants to swim will have to go somewhere else and those places are not easily accessible for many. It’s a bit of a nightmare.”
The Save Bucksburn Swimming Pool petition can be found here.
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