Trustee wants to give £30k pool fund to community

Trustee Kevin Turley says the pool money is sitting in a dormant bank account

Efforts are being made to free up £30,000, which was originally raised for a swimming pool, so that it can be put to use in the community instead.

Fundraising for a community pool in Shifnal, Shropshire, started in 2006, but the money was never used because it was not built.

Trustee Kevin Turley said the money was now sitting in a dormant bank account, and he was making efforts to get it released.

But he said he had been held up because of confusion over whether the money could be put to alternative uses.

In recent months there have been calls on social media for the money to be re-allocated.

Mr Turley took over as a trustee just before Covid and said when he enquired previously, just after the pandemic, he received conflicting advice from the Charity Commission.

On a number of occasions he said: "I've been told that the trust deed was set up in a way that it had to go to a swimming pool at Idsall [school], and that was it."

Mr Turley, who works in a nearby garden centre, said the money was "safe and secure" in a Barclays account and had been earning a "small amount of interest each year".

But he said he was now having to get legal advice on how to get the money released and had approached a number of solicitors.

He said he was open to offers of help and was looking for "support and help and guidance on how to bring this to a close".

He believes the chance to build a pool was lost when the town council decided not to take up an offer of money and land from a housing developer.

Now, he said the £30,000 should be spread among local charities and community groups, with each getting around £500.

The Charity Commission said: "We have engaged with trustees and provided them with advice on how to close the charity, including applying any remaining funds to charities with similar purposes."