'Our pool produced an Olympic swimmer - now it could close'

Jenny Hinde, secretary of Richmond Dales Swimming Club, said the potential closure of the pools was "really worrying"

It is the community pool in a Yorkshire market town that produced an Olympian and numerous national-level swimmers.

But users of Richmond Leisure and Wellbeing Hub have said they are worried that the sports centre's two pools may never reopen after they were temporarily closed due to structural issues.

North Yorkshire Council, which runs the facility under its Active North Yorkshire banner, has invited the public to have their say on its future following the partial collapse of the building's ceiling.

The pools were shut in April and the council is considering options including repair work, alternative uses or a permanent closure of the centre.

The pools were only recently transferred to council management from Richmondshire Leisure Trust

Residents, school leaders and local swimming clubs said the pools were a vital part of the community and they were "prepared to fight for them".

Richmond Dales Swimming Club secretary Jenny Hinde, whose three children have all used the centre, said the closure was having a "massive impact" on performance and wellbeing for their 170 members.

Mrs Hinde added: "The fact they're even thinking about the future of the pools in terms of the potential of closing them is just really worrying.

"We've got 12 swimmers going to English national championships across our para, open water and pool squads this summer. That is something that is worth being proud of and something that we should protect."

Several world-class swimmers began their careers at Richmond, including Nicola Jackson-Murphy, who won medals at the World Swimming Championships and competed at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

Mrs Jackson-Murphy said: "So many people use the pools, especially with the town we live in having a river.

"There is another pool in Catterick but people aren't always able to travel there. With all the years I spent going up and down that pool as well, it's really sad."

Former professional swimmer Nicola Jackson-Murphy started her career at Richmond

One of the schools which uses the facility is Richmond Methodist Primary, whose headteacher, Sharon Stevenson, said it was important that the town had a swimming pool.

She added: "We can walk the children to Richmond and back, and we absorb the cost of swimming lessons within our budget at the moment. But if the community loses that resource we'll have to transport the children in buses, and will have to pass that cost onto parents."

In the past four years, £2m has been spent on the building, including the installation of solar panels and a new heating system.

Structural experts told the council that these works had not caused the ceiling collapse, but quoted a figure of £850,000 to replace the ceiling and fit a new air handling system.

The gym and cafe at the leisure hub have remained open.

Councillor Simon Myers, executive member for culture, leisure and housing, said the opinions of pool users were important.

He added: "It's certainly not a question of a done deal. Nobody regrets us being in this position more than me. We knew there were issues here but we didn't know the scale of the issues."

The survey on the council's website closes on 27 July and initial findings are expected to be considered by cabinet members in the autumn.

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