Save Springfield School Pool, Portsmouth

Swimming facilities are becoming few and far between, This is a vital life skill for all and learning to swim should be encouraged in our children.

In my 50's now i was a pupil of the then manor court school and was the place i learned to swim. I feel it is important to keep the pool it would be a crime to concrete it over, so hands off! Leave it alone! For others to enjoy

I learnt to swim (and even canoe!) in this pool when I was a child in the early 1970s, and spent many a pleasurable PE session in it. With no other pools in North Portsmouth, it did not just make Springfield very special, but it also provided a vital local public service. Forty years on my love for swimming has not diminished and I still swim several times a week in my local pool in London, and I look back fondly to the time when I learnt to swim in my old school pool. The thought that today's children from Cosham and Drayton will be denied both the pleasure of learning to swim but also learning a vital life skill in a local pool fills me with horror. The Council and Governing body should be ashamed of themselves.

My son learnt to swim at this pool .it is a brillant place to learn .

Used this pool when I was younger. A great facility for whole community

It was always such an asset to have a swimming pool at the school when I attended in the 90's. Why not let others carry on

Community resource. Once these things go they cannot be brought back. Coastal area-kids must be able to swim!

I learned to swim and canoe here. It would be terrible to shut this valuable resource to the children there and the wider community who use it.

Both my children used this pool while at springfield and it is tragic that this decision has been made with the excuse of increasing numbers, so sad. it has to stay for more generations to use.

Please save this pool so our daughter can continue with her swimming lessons. It's a great pool and will make a big hole in the community if closed.

Cannot understand why they need to shut the pool. It seems like an excuse.

Save Springfield school pool

I learnt to swim at this pool.

A well used asset to the community my family learnt to swim here. A grave shame to see this go. Keep the pool open !!

This is the ONLY swimming pool in the City of Portsmouth, that is not located on Portsea Island. It is important, not only for the health and welfare of the students at that school, but also that of their families and friends in the area. When finance can be found for less important projects on Portsea Island, I am sure that if the will was there, the way could be found to keep this pool open. A seaside city should make every effort to ensure that its youngsters have the opportunity to learn to swim.

What's happened to the big drive to keep our kids fit and healthy. The knock off effects will cost the government in the long run

Councils feeling brave enough to close this pool after Barncroft last year. It seems to me the only pools that will be left are the big money generators that can pack out their pool with non stop lessons. This pool is a special pool with lots of character World Champions like Katy Sexton have used this pool as a vital part of their training - what should be being discussed is how to refurbish or modernise the pool to update it to bring out its full earning potential - a forward thinking council would recognise this opportunity to invest in the pool and create earnings / sustainability - the pool is already built ,but as usual austerity and lack of money are given as the reason but are really just an excuse. Lack of money ? - the money is there - they are choosing not to spend it and should have the honesty to admit this. If the school is expanding its numbers surely this is even more reason to use the pool and utilise its potential. Gyms are two a penny but swimming pools are gems that should be protected from this sort of Aqua Thuggery with some sort of listed status . Like Lidos they will never be built again and my fear is that the current attrition rate of swimming pools means they will go the same way as Englands once great Lidos starving them of funding to the point where closure starts to seem a viable option. Not everything is about money some things are about maintaining quality . The local economy could potentially benefit massively from refurbishment of this pool - much more than a gym . The local area is saturated with Gyms yet this is the only pool of its type in the Cosham / Drayton area. Its a mistake to close it and it will be another blow to a declining city being starved of investment.

This pool is needed for all feeder primary and wider Portsmouth & Hants schools & the community, there is no alternative pool. If this pool is not fully utilised then the governors & head should be held to account. The head & governors have no right to close the pool, they are just custodians and should make every effort to keep, maintain, promote & add to facilities enjoyed by those in the past, despite financial pressures & high demand. SAVE THE POOL

Both of my children learnt to swim in this pool. Such an essential life skill and so short sighted to allow such an asset to be lost for the next generation of learner swimmers

A poor decision as there is clearly insufficient availability of pools in the area.