New pool a step closer after government funding

Minehead's last pool closed in 2008

A new community swimming pool in Somerset is another step closer to reality, after the county received a government grant for projects which will improve inactivity.

Around £230,000 will be spent along the Somerset coast, between Porlock and Burnham-on-Sea, including on the new facility in Minehead.

The Somerset Active Sports Partnership (SASP) will pay for a feasibility report into a new swimming pool in West Somerset, as well as spreading the money among community groups.

The organisation's chief executive officer Jane Knowle said she was "excited" to embed "physical activity into places where people are not expecting it to be".

Ms Knowle said: "It is money that will be shared with the community and with other organisations to really get into granular detail about actually how do we improve people's lives and include physical activity within that, to make sure that people's physical and mental health... improves."

Somerset is one of 27 areas identified by Sport England as needing investment in inequality and physical health.

Earlier this year, a community group began exploring the possibility for a new swimming pool in Minehead, following the closure of the last public facility in 2008.

The money from Sport England will pay for a feasibility study for a new pool.

Ms Knowle said it was "unheard of" for a coastal town not have a pool.

Bruce Lang, a director of the project in Minehead, said: "It is a big step, particularly as SASP are engaging independent consultants who have experience across the country of projects like what we're trying to do.

"It'd be great to have independent experts, look at our thinking and help work it up into a deliverable project."

Mr Lang added land has been identified for the facility, and is in active talks with the town council about lease on it, with a view to building it in 2027.