It may feel like some time since we’ve given a general update about the Swimming Pool! That’s not because things have stopped happening, but because it’s taking a long time to get past some significant milestones. As you may know from previous updates, we cannot do any work on the pool or the site until we have a lease in place – and getting the lease agreed is taking time. This was expected – it took the team at Overton (the Lordsfield Pool) many, many months to get their lease agreed. The good news is that we are now, we believe, in the closing stages of the lease negotiation.
Building Works:
We have also been working in the background on getting planning permission in place for some of the work we will need to carry out when we take on the pool. Although we will not be able to carry out all the work immediately – funds simply won’t allow that – we decided to put in one application to cover many of the works needed in the first few years. You can take a look at this on the Basingstoke & Deane website, under planning reference 24/01503/FUL.
Fundraising:
We’ve had a few questions about ongoing fundraising. This remains a critical item for us. All the works that need to be completed, even to open the pool to the “minimum viable” standard, will require all the funds we have – and significantly more! We have been incredibly careful with our expenditure so far, only committing money where we absolutely must.
This has included items such as solicitors’ fees for lease negotiations, and for our planning application. We have had some success, but also encountered some challenges, pursuing Grant Funding. In many cases, until the lease is finalized we are ineligible for funding. That means the money we have raised from you – the community – remains the backbone of our efforts. Please rest assured that the money we have received so far has been very carefully looked after, but also understand that we need to raise much, much more money over the coming months!
Join our Committee:
On that note, we are on the lookout for a person or a group to look after fundraising for us as a member of the pool committee. If you think this is something you may be able to help with, please do get in touch with us! This is such a critical element of what we’re doing, and the Trustees and Committee would be incredibly grateful for any and all support.
Thank you …
… from everyone involved in getting the pool up and running, for everything you’ve contributed – financially and in terms of your time and efforts.
We are truly grateful, and can’t wait to get the pool open.
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