Community support sees town's fundraising efforts hit milestone for pool restoration

This extraordinary achievement is owed to huge community support for a long list of events, including sponsored swims, cafes, quizzes, plant sales, live music, films and apple pressing – culminating in an Olympic Fanzone. Alongside all this action have also been individual acts of extreme generosity. 

Jean Shirley, Chair of the Charity behind the campaign, commented: "This community has lost none of its public spirit since the existing pool was funded by public subscription 50 years ago. Our final challenge is to raise the remaining £50,000 needed to meet our target of £250,000 and we will continue to fundraise over the next three months – not easy when so many people have already contributed so much." 

The SpArC pool, which serves South West Shropshire, was opened in 1974 and is nearing its end of life. The charity which supports it has dedicated 2024 to a campaign to replace it with an insulated steel tank to reduce water volume and heating costs, adding steps to improve access.

It invites people or businesses which have not yet had chance to support the Pool Campaign to contribute any amount, however large or small, through its JustGiving page justgiving.com/campaign/sparc-pool-at-50-2024

Look out for this year’s remaining fundraising events:

The Charity will continue to make grant applications, which are hugely competitive, but fingers are crossed that these efforts will pay off.

For more information about the SpArC charity, please see our Facebook page savethesparc, and email jeanshirley@btinternet.com or ruthmhoughton55@gmail.com with any offer of help, however small it may seem.