Pool bid reaches halfway target (From Hampshire Chronicle)

Pool bid reaches halfway target

5:10pm Thursday 12th November 2009

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PARENTS near Alresford have raised more than £11,000 in their fight to save their local school's swimming pool.

They launched a campaign to save the facility at Ropley Primary School after it emerged the pool is likely to fail its next inspection because of leaks.

A family fitness day - featuring a sponsored run, games, stalls and a raffle - was laid on in October and raised more than £4,000.

Zoe Ashdown, whose six-year-old son Harvey attends the school, said parents were hoping to raise £22,000 by the end of February.

Mrs Ashdown, wife of Portsmouth FC goalkeeper Jamie Ashdown, said: "We're really confident we're going to reach the total, we're also in the process of applying for funding too.

"We're excited about it because it's a really good cause and we're 100 per cent committed to working towards keeping it open."

Part of the money raised will pay for a new pool liner but parents also want to improve access, install a toilet and possibly a roof.

The next fund-raising event for the pool, which was built in 1973, will be a Christmas Fair at Ropley Primary School on Saturday, December 5.

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