Schools to share swimming pool fund

Two primary schools are due to share a £30,000 fund which was originally collected to build a community swimming pool.

The pool in Shifnal, Shropshire, was never built, so the money was left in a bank account with limitations on how it could be spent.

After months of talks involving the trustees and Barclays Bank, the money will be released to support swimming lessons at St Andrew's Primary School and Shifnal Primary School in Shropshire after talks with the Charity Commission.

Trustee Kevin Turley said the money would be split evenly between the two schools and would be ringfenced for swimming, to comply with the restrictions on the use of the fund.

He has spent the last 12 months seeking a way to get the money released from the dormant fund, and confirmed the pool fund account had now closed and all the money has been transferred.

He said the process had been complicated because of the way the original trust documents were worded and he was "very grateful" to the Charity Commission for helping him find a solution.

St Andrew's Primary School is considering using the money to hire a temporary swimming pool, so children can learn to swim without having to travel.

Amanda Skidmore, the head teacher at St Andrew's, said she was "delighted" to receive the contribution.

She said school swimming lessons were "vital for teaching life-saving water safety and swimming skills".

Her school was able to hire a temporary pool, covered by a marquee for two weeks before the Easter holidays, allowing 105 children to have swimming lessons.

She said it had been a "wonderful experience".

The BBC also approached Shifnal Primary School for a response and confirmation it had received the money.

Kerrie Hadfield, one of a number of local residents who had been pushing for the money to be put to good use, said: "It's been a long struggle, but it's good to hear that at last the monies that were donated many years ago by Shifnal residents are now finally being utilised for the benefit of the children of Shifnal."

The Charity Commission said the money was released through the help of its Revitalising Trusts programme.

It said the programme had been working with the trustees of Shifnal Community Swimming Pool "to identify appropriate recipients to receive the remaining funds and help them to wind up the charity".

It was continuing to work with the trustees, it said.

Turley said the final step would be to officially close down the fundraising trust.

Reflecting on the original aims of the appeal and the failure to build a swimming pool for the town, he said: "Part of me is disappointed."

He said it "would have been great for Shifnal to have a swimming pool", but at the same time he was "pleased to still have linkage with the original idea of helping with swimming and helping school children".

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