Date for Heysham Swimming Pool reopening

Heysham swimming pool has been under threat since 2016 after the announcement of council cuts.

But last year Lancaster City Council cabinet agreed money can be spent to help Heysham High School take over the pool and run it as part of a community sports centre.

Now the school has secured £150,000 from Sport England meaning plans can go ahead to reopen the pool.

The Sport England grant funding and a £139,000 contribution from Lancashire County Council will be used to refurbish the pool and create a single combined reception area for the pool and school facilities.

“We have been working behind the scenes for a very long time in the hope of securing this valuable asset for the community and I am delighted that the funding has finally been secured to allow work to begin,” said John Shannon, headteacher at Heysham High.

“We look forward to welcoming back many users of the pool who have been very supportive of the school’s attempts to keep it open, and it seems fitting that as we are about to join an academy trust which feels very strongly about community links, we should be able to facilitate this exciting news for Heysham.”

Tauheedul Education Trust, a mixed multi-academy which Heysham High will be joining later this year, has helped in delivering the pool project.

The pool has more than 70,000 users annually, and is regularly booked by 15 primary schools and many clubs and groups across the district.

Work on the project will begin before the end of May and the pool is scheduled to reopen to the public on September 1 2018.