Banbury Pool Campaign

Background:

Banbury’s Open Air Pool at Woodgreen has been closed since 2002 as a result of managerial and technical failures.
It is a 50 X 18 metres pool and it is badly needed by the local community. It is also the right size for use as an Olympic training pool when refurbished.
In the last few years the future of the pool and the leisure centre next to it, which is host to a variety of other sports and recreational activities, has been the subject of intense local debate. A vigorous local campaign by swimmers, water sports clubs and many dry side groups put pressure on their local councillors and held public meetings that were well attended and showed strong support for vigorous protest. The press and radio followed the evolving events generously and helped spread the debate..
As a result of this campaign, in 2007 the seemingly stubborn opposition of Cherwell District Council (CDC) the owner of the site, changed to a more positive approach to the future of Woodgreen. It recognised that the re-opening of the pool would be a huge benefit to Banbury and its neighbouring villages.

Pool in it's full glory in the 1980s

* In advance of this more positive council stance, the pool campaigners proposed to other clubs using Woodgreen to form a Woodgreen Users Group representing all the former users of the lido and all the clubs and community bodies using the leisure centre.These were the Banbury Cross Bowling Club, the Cherwell Canoe Club, the Cherwell Runners and Joggers, the Banbury Fencing Club, the Banbury Asian Community Association, the Neithrop Dance Club, the Trathlon Club, the Open Air Pool Supportwers Group, the Banbury and Distruict Canine Association, the Horton Bingo Club, the Triathlon Club, Slimming World, the Rainbow Club and the Civic Society. The broadest community group was more able to look at all asspects of the needs of local citizens.

* In the spring of 2007 CDC Executive instructed a cross-party Scrutiny Committee to look thoroughly at the various options open to it - to visit other pools to hear about their experiences. All members of the community affected by the closure of the lido were also consulted. The report was thorough and positive. As a result the Executive decided to allocate £1,250,000 towards the costs of refurbishing and re-opening the lido.

*In the early summer of 2008 a plan and budget were agreed to implement a new build so that the pool could be re-opened for the 2009 season.

*The CDC initiative is warmly applauded and the resulting action will be eagerly awaited.

* Since our campaign began many national and international events have contributed to the pressure on local government to change their attitude to the provision of recreational and healthy activities. The national debate about childrens' health and the lack of outdoor activities for them, the threat of climate change and the need to provide more recreational opportunities for them nearer home, the impetus that will be given to outdoor sports by the 2012 Olympic Games and lasy but not least the governments's recent initiative to provide free swimming for all under 16 and over 60s have all contributed.

Our campaign is not over but has changed gear. The capital costs of re-opening the pool and improving other facilities at Woodgreen are to be met, but the qiuestion of management remains in limbo. The experience of the past has left a strong resistance to multi-headed management but on the other hand the users have had exoperience of being managed by a commercial contractor and have a negative feeling about such leadership. We hope there wioll still be a chance to express our opinions and suggest other alternatives. One is aware of other campaigns for keeping well-loved and used pools open and of rthe success of a number of pools to seek independence.
In this vein the booklet 'Hands Up for a New Beginning' still has resonance and it remains on the website.

To read it click on the image below.

We edited a family film (6 Mb) taken during the heyday of Woodgreen. Click on the photo below.