Locals’ dismay over move to close down school pool

SWIMMING coaches have slammed a council decision to turn a school pool into a drama studio.

A protracted campaign to save the St Bride’s Primary’s swimming pool saw a plan mooted in 2014 for private firm Making Waves to take it over.

But, despite efforts from the company, Glasgow City Council pulled out of the deal.

The pool closed in 2016 and now education bosses say it will be turned into a drama studio and general-purpose classroom.

Making Waves owner Tom Mitchell, who taught swimming lessons in St Bride’s until the pool closed, said: “We wanted to take the St Bride’s pool on, we were very keen to invest in it and the council let us believe that would happen.

“It is a real shame because it was a Victorian pool with historical value and really quirky; a lovely place to teach and learn.

“We had used that pool for several years and had built up a good customer base.”

Glasgow City Council said health and safety concerns prevented the transfer of the Govanhill primary’s pool to Making Waves.

But Tom’s wife Nicola, who also runs the company, said they had commissioned surveys of the pool and taken every step possible to keep it open.

She added: “The area’s demographic is deprived so many of these children will not get other chances to learn to swim. With the background of some of the girls too, they are not allowed to swim in mixed company and St Bride’s pool was an opportunity for them to learn to swim in a girls-only environment.

“They might not get another chance.”

Making Waves was initially to take over St Bride’s, Abercorn, Lorne Street and Ashcraig schools’ pools.

Tom said that when the pool closed Making Waves was teaching around 200 pupils each week. The company still gives lessons at weekends to Abercorn and in Clevedon Secondary School.

The couple have since opened their own pool in East Kilbride.

Nicola said: “We pledged to do something and opening our own pool shows how serious we were. We still hope to open in Glasgow.”

Local councillor Soryia Siddique, who campaigned to save the pool, said there would be “some disappointment” over the closure.

A city council spokeswoman said: “We were unable to overcome some legal and health and safety issues to take forward the original proposal.

“An imaginative plan has been devised to transform the former pool into a drama studio and general purpose classroom to be utilised by the pupils and teachers once the renovations have been completed.”