Letter: Swimming legacy is dismissed by centre

Whilst the sports village was great news for Scarborough, I did have early concerns regarding what this would mean for not only the swimming club, but also Kingfishers Swimming Club.

My four children have swum from a very early age with Scarborough Swimming Club and I am a member of Kingfishers.

Scarborough Swimming Club has been run for years by volunteers and the work that goes in to the club on a daily basis by these volunteers, parents and children is exceptional. This is aside from the benefits to the town with regular galas and related events bringing income to the town.

What will Scarborough Borough Council do to ensure the future of this club? Please consider the social, economic and health benefits of ensuring that the club continues. This will probably one of the most important issues facing a local club and I do hope that the council will do what it can to ensure that no damage is caused to the club.

I for one am particularly concerned over the impact that Everyone Active’s management of the swimming facilities will have on the club (and also on Kingfishers), as my eldest son now represents Yorkshire as a junior triathlete and this year gained a place on the Yorkshire Triathlon Academy which is the British Triathlon talent pathway for GB triathlete status. His success as a junior triathlete has, in a very large part, been due to Scarborough Swimming Club and the coaches there.

It’s not really on when parents and children are expected to queue in the rain at 5am because they forget to open the doors of the centre.

Everyone Active needs to understand the significance of this club and its historic and current achievements. It’s not just a place were people pop along for a swim, it’s an essential part of the town’s/county’s/country’s sporting pathway to a child’s/adult’s sporting achievement.

Does Everyone Active realise/understand this and understand their responsibility to these people? It’s not just for profit.

Scarborough Borough Council is quiet on this matter.

Iain Butterworth

Swarthlands Lane

Burniston