HOME | IMC UK | Editorial Guidelines | Mission Statement | About Us | Contact | Help | Support Us

Oxford Indymedia

save our local swimming pool and gym

rosalind miles | 14.05.2006 09:57 | Education | Health | Social Struggles | Oxford

City Council threatening to close or dramatically change our local pool againgt the wishes of the pool users.

Save our pool, say swimmers
By Rosalind Miles

Jane Alexander with the petition

More than 100 swimmers who fear a swimming pool could close have launched a protest petition.
Oxford City Council is considering if Temple Cowley pool in Temple Road, Cowley, is viable as part of its leisure strategy review.
Jane Alexander, 50, who lives off Hollow Way, Cowley, is one of many swimmers who say they would be devastated if the pool were to shut.
She has mobility problems, and moved near the pool to make it easier for her to get to it, as swimming alleviates her condition.
She said: "Without swimming, I'm rubbish. When you have problems moving on land, swimming does so much for you. You are so much more free to move. It makes you feel alive."
In February, Liberal Democrat city councillor Paul Sargent suggested the pool was outdated and needed a major overhaul or should be relocated.
Pool users are afraid that if the pool is to be redeveloped, the communal changing rooms could be scrapped in favour of 'village'-style individual cubicles, like those in the Ferry Centre, in Summertown.
Ms Alexander said having changing rooms meant people could chat and socialise while changing and most people wanted them to stay.
She said: "As it is, there are precious few places to socialise outside the pub. The early morning swimmers are a group. We know each other and go out to lunch together.
"We will lose all that. And it will be such a shame if mothers with babies can't chat. They love to talk about what their babies can do.
"They say it's because of child protection, but cubicles are private and more open to abuse than in a communal changing room with people coming in and out.
"Cubicles are especially worrying with the reports of teenagers causing trouble and having sex in pool changing rooms."
Swimmer Charlotte Barrow, who supports the petition, said: "Swimming can be a very lonely pasttime. I was making a number of friends through the camaraderie of the changing room. I hate all cubicle changing. You can't shower properly."
The protest is also supported by the Green Party. Spokesman Elise Benjamin said: "This is an absolute disgrace. We cannot afford to lose this vital leisure facility and the Greens will not allow it to happen."
Council spokesman Louisa Dean said: "We have no plans to close any our of facilities at this stage. The leisure strategy was agreed in full council last month and we are now in the process of a facility review which is ongoing."

rosalind miles

Publish your news
-->

Kollektives

Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World

Other UK IMCs
Bristol/South West
London
Northern Indymedia
Scotland

Oxford Topics

Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista

IMCs


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech