An update from the Save Whitehill Pool campaign…
Hi everyone,
It was wonderful to see folks at the Alexandra Park Festival last month and we realised it’s been a wee while since the big meeting in the spring. Here’s an update all on what’s been happening with the Save Whitehill Pool campaign since then.
We’ve built strong support with other local community groups which we will keep building on. The working group have met several times, independently and with representatives from Glasgow Life and Glasgow City Council. And, we’ve learned that the current building has a LOT of issues, in all parts of the building. RAAC is just the recent one! Because of that, where we are now is that there are four options Glasgow Life will consider:
- A) A new pool and gym facility (estimated £30m – £35m, 5 years build, 50-year life).
- B) Retrofit and refurbish the existing building (estimated £25m – £35m, 5 years build, 50-year life).
- C) Temporary pool, no gym or additional facilities (estimated £3m – £4m, 1 year build, historical use – around two years. Beyond two years is unknown territory with no guarantees).
- D) Do nothing & close the pool for good (estimated £0.85m).
Our aim is still 100% to re-instate the swimming and gym activities at the Whitehill Pool site! Options A and B are the only ones that provide long term stability to swimming and sports provision in the neighbourhood. We believe our community deserves investment in our physical wellbeing and mental health, so we are focused on the first two as the best options. It has been achieved elsewhere, but we need you to help make it a reality!
What can you do?
We are calling on everybody who ever used the pool or hopes to use it again in the future. You all will have different knowledge, capability, power and influence to contribute.
Here’s how:
- Fill in the survey: forms.gle/c5qkfezswg81PQ2t8. We’re using this to understand community needs and hopes for Whitehill Pool in our advocacy to stakeholders.
- Sign the petition: livingrent.org/save_whitehill_pool and let decision makers know you want the pool reinstated!
- Write to your elected members and let them know you want them to Save Whitehill Pool!
- Support the campaign: email savewhitehillpool@gmail.com to get involved with the working group. If you are part of a club, school or community group that wants to support the campaign, we’d love to hear from you.
Please don’t delay – signatures and surveys are most useful to us now – before the end of the month!
What will we do next?
We’ll be reaching out to Councillors, MPs, MSPs in arguing for the re-instatement of Whitehill Pool. They ultimately hold the budgets that invest in our communities.
We will work with Glasgow Life to develop the business case for the pool. Using survey responses and additional research, we will demonstrate that Whitehill Pool has been a huge asset to the East End for over 50 years, that its two-and-a-half-year closure has had a significant impact on our people and our area, and that we will continue to champion the reinstatement of this vital community resource.
Thanks to all of you for your support!
Warmest wishes from the Save Whitehill Pool campaign.
