Community swimming pool kept afloat by donation from local housebuilder

Allison Homes South West has donated £500 to Bow Community Swimming Pool in Crediton. The donation follows the housebuilder’s call for applications from local charities and community groups.

The donation has been used to help a young person qualify for their National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ), enabling them to work at the pool as a lifeguard for the next two years and keep it open for children. The remaining funds will be used to provide the chemicals required to maintain the pool throughout the summer.

Laura Martin, Chair of the Bow Swimming Pool Management Committee (BSPMC), commented: “The donation from Allison Homes has been a huge help – we have a small dedicated committee of volunteers that do everything we can to keep the pool up and running, but we are completely reliant on donations, grants and contributions towards swimming lessons, which has become more difficult as everyone is on a budget with the current cost of living.

“In previous years we have been lucky to have volunteers, but we now must employ four paid lifeguards which is our biggest expenditure. We try to keep the swimming session costs as low as possible to make them accessible to everyone, but with rising costs of cleaning products, electricity and water we are not in the financial position we’d like to be.

“The children absolutely love the pool, whatever the weather, and it’s great to hear them having so much fun whilst being active and out in the fresh air. The pool is also open to the general public at weekends and school holidays – our aim is to get as many people using it as possible.”

Gemma Green, Regional Marketing Manager at Allison Homes South West, added: “It’s important for us to instil trust and give back to the communities that we build in, providing support where it’s most needed. We’re grateful to the BSPMC for getting in touch and really pleased to be able to support such an integral asset to the Crediton community. We hope our small contribution helps the pool continue to bring joy to pupils and locals alike.”

Bow Community Swimming Pool is located on the site of Bow Community Primary School on Station Road, Crediton, EX17 6HU. There are a number of upcoming events where you can support the committee in keeping the pool running, including jumble sales, a Bag2School collection and cake sale to name a few. You can find out more on how to support on the committee’s Facebook page, here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/696924920478609/

Allison Homes South West is currently building new homes at High Moor View in Winkleigh, where homes are now over 75% sold. The team is also delivering affordable homes at its Partnership sites in Tiverton and Witheridge. 

Find out more about the remaining homes available at High Moor View, here: https://allison-homes.co.uk/development/high-moor-view/

Pictured: L-R Committee members, Steph, Sandie, Cass, Richard, Hayley and Jill from Bow Community Swimming Pool.