Young swimmers whose club was on the brink of folding before their pool was saved from closure have now earned the “chance of a lifetime” to compete on the international stage.
Gateshead Synchronised Swimming Club was facing the prospect of collapse when Dunston Leisure Centre was earmarked to be shut down under controversial cuts by Gateshead Council. But a U-turn to protect the Dunston facility, albeit at the expense of Birtley’s pool, has allowed the successful club to survive and scale new heights.
After the huge relief of surviving the axe, the synchro club is now raising funds so it can send 18 of its talented members to show their skills to the world. They have been invited to take part in the Doubled Sports International Artistic Swimming Championship in Dubai this December, an honour which club chair Lena McLelland is overjoyed with after fearing that their pool’s closure would have forced youngsters to give up the sport they love.
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She said: “After the year we have had with the campaign to save the pool, this is one of the best things ever to happen to us. We would just not be here if the pool had closed.
“But now some of our swimmers have the chance of a lifetime to swim internationally. We are absolutely delighted and everyone is working hard in training and to raise the funds we need to go.”
While the council’s decision in January to alter its pool closure plans and shut Birtley instead of Dunston did allow her club to survive, Lena says it has left a “bitter taste in the mouth” knowing that it has come at the expense of another community. However there are hopes that both Birtley Swimming Centre and Gateshead Leisure Centre, which are both now due to close on July 21, can reopen under new community ownership.
The decision to save Dunston Leisure Centre was made after warnings that shutting it would be fatal for the artistic swimming club, which is the only one of its kind in the North East, as they were not able to find another pool with the required depth to train in. Lena added: “After all of the campaigning and how we all got caught up in it all, this is something really positive that has come out of that.
"We have got some young people who have autism or have mental health issues, so for them to be able to go and compete in an event like this is brilliant for their confidence. There are so many barriers for them in terms of taking part and swimming is their safe place.”
A total of 18 swimmers and five support staff are set to make the journey to the Middle East this winter and are looking to raise around £15,000 to pay for their travel, accommodation, and competition fees. The club’s fundraising page can be found at this link.
Gateshead Council's cabinet made its decision on the closure of the leisure centres in Saltwell and Birtley last Tuesday, with the two sites due to shut just before the school summer holidays. A Gateshead Active group set up to save the Gateshead Leisure Centre is hopeful of completing a deal to reopen it in the autumn, while Gateshead and Whickham Swimming Club and the Birtley Swimming Club are working together to take over the Birtley pool.
