Village pool reopens after being saved by couple

Yvonne Farmer (pictured with her husband Trevor) learned to swim on the site

A community swimming pool in Leicestershire has officially reopened after a 15-month closure.

The facility in School Lane, Queniborough, which was used as a school before being turned into a pool, shut in October 2023 due to financial challenges.

But after a local couple got the keys to the building in August 2024, the site, which originally opened in 1847, has now been refurbished and will be used to teach toddlers and young children how to swim.

Yvonne Farmer, whose family paid £143,000 for the pool, said the restoration was a "passion project" as she learned to swim at the facility herself.

"We're completely over the moon and so happy to invite everybody back in to this pool," said Mrs Farmer.

"Since opening as the local primary school, this building has been one that the community loves and values."

Mrs Farmer, whose grandad was educated at the site, added: "It means the world to myself and my husband, and many people who live in this village."

Parent and child sessions will be offered at the pool, provided by the local group SwimwithJo, which launched in 2021.

It will also be used by local primary schools and community groups around the Charnwood area.

Tammy Harrison said the pool was "perfect for children and young babies"

"I have had experience teaching here for a decade and it's amazing to see the children progress," said Tammy Harrison, one of the founding members of the group.

"They reach the 25-metre criteria that is expected by the time they leave primary school.

"The locals came to school here, before this site became a swimming pool. Now it is their great-grandchildren who will be learning to swim on this site.

"This pool is perfect for young children and babies. It gives them the confidence to move into the deeper pools.

"If my children were younger, I would definitely be taking them to a pool like this."