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More Than £80K Secured For Ryde Swimming Pool
By Iona Stewart-Richardson
Vital funding has been secured for a community swimming pool in Ryde.
The charity-run Waterside Pool will benefit from a £82,000 cash windfall from the National Leisure Centre Recovery Fund, launched by Sport England last year.
The money will help plug significant COVID-relayed losses sustained by the pool during the pandemic.
Isle of Wight Council officers worked closely with staff and trustees of the Waterside Community Trust to put forward a bid. Earlier this week they received the good news it had been successful.
The members of Ryde Swimming Club, like many other swimmers, saw training cancelled in March. The club put in place some ‘dry side’ activities, consisting of simple exercises to try and maintain strength and fitness without entering the water. Some swimmers purchased their own pools to train in, and the club also organised regular games evenings and dry side advice sessions via Zoom. In July, pools were permitted to reopen, with Ryde Swimming Club being one of the first clubs in the country to return back to training thanks to Waterside Community Trust putting measures in place to facilitate a quick return.