The company set up to save Falmouth's Ships & Castles has responded as closure looms for the leisure centre.

Announced yesterday evening (28th), the campaign took a huge blow after Cornwall Council announced no "workable and affordable solution" had been found to keep the leisure centre in Falmouth open.

This means that if the Cabinet decide that all avenues to find a workable solution have been exhausted, the Council could be working with GLL to close Ships and Castles leisure centre in Falmouth by March 31st, 2022.

A final decision will be made at a Cornwall Council cabinet meeting on March 4th.

In a statement, Pendennis Leisure said they were "gutted" to read that Cornwall Council officers are recommending that Falmouth's Ships & Castles closes.

Gemma Adams, director of Pendennis Leisure Community Interest Company, said:

"The Cornwall Council plan to close the only public leisure centre serving almost 50,000 people in Falmouth, Penryn and surrounding areas is shortsighted, wasteful and will have a devastating effect on our community. It feels particularly unfair to recommend closing just one leisure centre in Cornwall – Falmouth's."

The Pendennis Leisure statement continues:

"Over 3000 people signed our petition to keep Ships & Castles open, to protect the site on which it stands and to work together to improve swimming facilities in Falmouth. Throughout our campaign and Cornwall Council's procurement processes, we have never been given the opportunity to talk directly with decision-makers about their plans.

"I would like to ask the man responsible for this decision, Councillor Richard Pears, what he has to say to the hundreds of children and their families who depend on Ships & Castles swimming lessons and for whom there is no space at the pools of Carn Brea, Helston or Truro or with other local providers?

"What does he say to the 1000+ local children and their teachers who depend on Ships and Castles as the place within walking distance of their schools where they can complete their statutory Key Stage 2 swimming lessons?

"On 15th February Pendennis Leisure Community Interest Company submitted formal proposals to renew and improve the Ships & Castles operation. Aside from acknowledging receipt, we have heard nothing since from Cornwall Council until shortly after 5pm on Monday, two hours before Cornwall Council published their proposal."

Pendennis Leisure also issued comments on Cornwall Council's proposal, stating:

1. The proposed closure of Falmouth's Ships & Castles has extremely worrying implications for the physical and mental wellbeing for thousands of local people.

1. We have consulted Helston, Camborne and Truro pools and we know they do not have the capacity to take on those lessons. Cornwall has the highest number of drownings in the UK.

1. In light of the above it is clear that Cornwall Council has failed in its duty to conduct a meaningful assessment of the impacts of this proposal – particularly in terms of the health equalities impacts and of climate impacts.

1. It is irresponsible for Cornwall Council not to acknowledge its obligations as the owners of an asset of community value and completely unrealistic for them to deny the investment needed to operate Ships and Castles successfully. Cornwall Council's overall approach has not allowed us any chance to engage or negotiate with decision-makers, and, unlike Wadebridge, no Falmouth councillor is party to the decision-making.

1. Cornwall Council is proposing to make this decision on the basis of its unfinished Draft Leisure Strategy. Planning to permanently deprive Falmouth, Penryn and the surrounding area of a decent public swimming pool.

1. In their December Cabinet Paper, Cornwall Council stated 'The Falmouth Ships and Castles site lends itself to redevelopment'. This is likely to mean the iconic headland land will be lost as a Falmouth Community asset and sold to the highest bidder. We ask Cornwall Council to come clean on its alternative vision for the site.

Pendennis Leisure added:

"We urge Cornwall's leaders to override the officers' recommendation when they meet on Friday. We urge Cornwall's councillors to speak up for the clear needs of our residents and ask doctors, teachers, other caring professionals and everyone in our community to put pressure on Cornwall's leaders to do the right thing when they meet on Friday by telling them to keep Ships & Castles open while a better solution is found."

Don't forget to sign up for our newsletter below to get the top 10 Falmouth stories of the week delivered straight to your inbox every Friday! No click-bait. No intrusive ads. Just news about Falmouth.

[H3] See the latest news on our Twitter and Facebook pages. [.H2]