Rallying round the pool

Rallying round the pool

11 February 2015

A MAJOR campaign has been launched to save Newcastle’s famous outdoor rock pool.

One of the last remaining sea water pools in Ireland, its future has been thrown into doubt by Newry, Mourne and Down Council which is considering pulling the plug on the 80 year-old facility.

News the pool could be sacrificed to save £45,000 as politicians struggle to set a district rate has sparked a flurry of activity on social media.

A Facebook campaign to keep the doors of the South Promenade facility open was launched last week and within 24 hours over 1,500 signatures had been secured supporting the pool.

The Friends of the Rock Pool support group is angry at the suggestion the outdoor cross-community facility should close even though its numbers have been growing in recent years. 

There is also concern that while the Newry, Mourne and Down Council is considering closing the Rock Pool, it has suggested spending £2m redeveloping a derelict outdoor pool in Warrenpoint and providing a series of bronze statues along Newcastle promenade.

Jenni Spice, a member of the pool’s support group, said if the outdoor facility closes “it will be a massive loss to Newcastle.”

She continued: “It is an iconic place and it can’t go. Open water swimming and sea water swimming is growing in popularity all the time. Triathletes, swimmers and lifesavers all use the Rock Pool. There is nowhere else like it and people travel to swim in it.

“We have launched an e-petition and are sitting at over 1,800 signatures. Petitions have also been circulated around shops in town which people are also signing. People are up in arms about any suggestion to close the Rock Pool and rightly so. It is a great facility.”

Jenni described the Rock Pool as a “much-loved and well-supported facility” and is the last open-air sea water swimming pool in Ireland.

She said it has provided generations of locals, sports people and visitors the opportunity to learn water safety, lifesaving and swimming in a unique cold sea water environment, with the cross-community facility attracting visitors to Newcastle for over eight decades.

Jenni hopes politicians will not close the Rock Pool but look at ways of enhancing the outdoor facility, including extending its opening hours. She believes it continues to have an important role to play and can become an even more popular attraction.

“We are willing to work with the new council to keep the Rock Pool open. Everyone wants the pool to remain and we are getting tremendous support from the local business community which recognises the uniqueness of this facility and the role it plays in attracting people to Newcastle,” she continued.

Jenni said with so much emphasis on “upskilling” in today’s society, the Rock Pool provides young people in particular with a great opportunity to learn lifesaving skills.

“I have made many lifelong friends through the Rock Pool with people from other communities and the place is just fabulous. If the council is willing to look at investing £2m in a derelict pool in Warrenpoint to turn it into a new spa, it should be looking to invest in the Rock Pool which is open  and in demand,” she continued.

Jenni added: “The Friends of the Rock Pool are delighted with the tremendous support the campaign to keep the pool open is receiving. The support from them and the Newcastle business community is terrific. We want the pool to stay open and there is a significant number of others who share this view.”