Petition in the House of Commons – Jayne Kirkams’ instagram @jaynekirkhammp
MP for Truro & Falmouth Jayne Kirkham has presented a petition to Parliament calling for a new swimming pool in Falmouth.
Since the closure of Ships and Castles in April 2022, there has been no other 25-metre swimming pool within a half an hour drive, leaving the local community and a new generation of children without the facilities to learn to swim safely.
Dozens of local businesses, schools and even GP surgeries signed up to host copies of the petition. With almost 6,000 signatures, Pendennis Leisure founder Gemma Adams said just how impressive this was, considering “the town’s population is just 24,000”.
According to campaigners, the Deputy Speaker and even the clerks were impressed with the number of signatures the petition received.
In an area surrounded by water, “learning how to swim is not just important – it is life-saving,” says Kirkham.
Jayne Kirkham and Matthew in London with a petition – Jayne Kirkham’s instagram @Jaynekirkhammp
Primary schools in Falmouth have reported a sharp decline in the percentage of children leaving Year 6 who could confidently swim a distance of 25 metres. For Cornwall as a whole, that percentage is now just 69 per cent, and for Falmouth, it is likely to be lower.
Leah Wright, a swimming teacher at Truro Leisure Centre, said: “Lower-income families struggle to pay for private lessons in Falmouth, which are in hotels.” She said families now have to travel further to take their children to lessons.
She added that centres like Truro have “limited pool time in the day to facilitate the number of schools needing swim lessons, so students aren’t receiving the ample amount of tuition, and they are leaving lessons, not being able to swim the expected standard of 25 metres”.
Going forward, Jayne Kirkham and her team remain deeply committed to the community in reopening a swimming pool and hope that Parliament takes into consideration the 6,000 people who are fighting for this to happen.
To find out more, go to https://www.jaynekirkham.co.uk/campaigns