How sad assets are under threat (From Bucks Free Press)

How sad assets are under threat

10:23am Friday 14th August 2009

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A COUPLE of weeks ago, I attended a very good Rotary wine-tasting event at the Environment Centre on The Rye, which gave me the opportunity to have a look around the place.

The indoor observation hive and the new bumble bee exhibit are both well worth a visit if you have some time free during the holidays.

I was astonished that such an excellent resource for the town was under threat of closure. As I was wondering around the centre, I found myself looking out of a window into the Holywell Mead open air swimming pool, sitting empty and forlorn since its closure in February, and realised that here we have two marvellous assets to our town, both under threat. How sad. When I was a young lad, the opportunity to swim in the open air was one I always seized whenever it was offered. And a quick dip in the sea involves a tidy journey from our area. One of the very first times I saw the Holywell Mead pool I took a photograph of it.

Not because the exterior is an example of exciting architecture, nor indeed because of some rare quality of the light. I’m afraid it was because some of the lettering on the front of the building was missing.

Whether this was the result of wear and tear, accident or with help of a waggish vandal, I don’t know, but the end result would not have persuaded the faint-hearted to venture into the waters, despite the suggestion of what they might find being no worse than some of the beaches around the country. I found the photograph again this week and it is reproduced (on the left) to entertain those of you with a similarly childish sense of humour.

Aside from this temporary foul slur on the quality of the water, the open air swimming pool and its adjacent Environment Centre are both facilities for the area that it would be much missed if they disappeared forever.

Yes times are tough financially for councils and savings have to be made but there must be other savings that could be found.

It seems a trifle perverse to economise by closing a centre that has the potential to educate and encourage people to value and cherish our natural resources and a swimming pool that would, I am sure, have done a roaring trade in June at least!

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