Bristol swimming pool comes into community ownership

Volunteers are celebrating their successful campaign to take their local pool into community ownership, saving it from closure.

Knowle's Jubilee Swimming Pool in Jubilee Road is the first in Bristol to have entered community-ownership.

But the recent rise in energy prices means the pool is now reliant on community support.

Friends of Jubilee Pool are holding a midnight swim fundraiser on Saturday to celebrate its opening and raise funds.

One volunteer said it was "not just about money" - those involved wanted it to help the community "come together".

Rachel Heaton, a volunteer at the Friends of Jubilee Pool, said the path to becoming community-owned began around the pub table, when regular swimmers were outraged their pool might be closing.

"Now we are a charity and I can't quite believe that we're taking this thing on," she said.

Lauren Tew is also a volunteer and has been coming to the pool for the past 35 years.

She said her children had learned to swim at the pool and had all become lifeguards.

"Coming to the pool gave me a respite," she said.

"I can't overstate how much that has done for my mental health."

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