A CAMPAIGN has been launched to help the swimming pool in Church Stretton stay afloat.

Campaigners in Church Stretton are asking the community to rally round to raise more than £200,000 to modernise the swimming pool, which is more than 40 years old.

A working group is spearheading a fundraising drive for money to bring the pool, part of the Teme Church Stretton site at Shrewsbury Road, up to modern standards.

The pool opened in 1971 after the people of the town raised £19,000 in order to build it. An old workhouse was converted and extended to house the swimming pool, with the original workhouse making up the current changing rooms.

Church Stretton Swimming Pool is owned by the town council and operated by Teme Leisure.

“Teme Leisure took over the operational management of the swimming pool in April 2010,” said Lee Hassan, general manager of Teme Leisure.

“Church Stretton Swimming Pool has enabled children and adults of all ages and abilities the chance to learn to swim and keep fit.

"The primary and secondary schools regularly use the pool throughout the year, with the primary school allowing all year groups to swim all year round, which is very rare.

“The secondary school use the pool all year round, and with easy access to the pool they are able to offer swimming as part of GCSE PE assessment.

"Teme Leisure run children’s swimming lessons, currently teaching 120 children to swim during term-time with the help of ASA qualified teachers.

“Teme Leisure is very much aware of the dilapidated condition of the building and the need for repairs to the fabric of the building, the pool room and plant room upgrades.

“The building is only single glazed, there’s no roof insulation, and the filtration needs desperately updating.

"Unfortunately we had no choice but to close the pool for more than four weeks over Christmas because of a heating fault in the pool plant room, caused by the age of the machinery.”