Jayne Kirkham says "we mustn't lose" the sports resources we have in the area after Swim England chief executive Jane Nickerson warned that one in five swimming pools will permanently close due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

A new report released by Community Leisure UK has led to the recognised national governing body for aquatics reiterating its plea for urgent funding to be invested in leisure facilities so more can reopen following lockdown.

"If we let the pools shut, we shut a whole generation of Cornish children out of learning to swim. Let alone all the other sporting opportunities," Jayne Kirkham - Cornwall Councillor for Falmouth Smithick said.

In the Community Leisure UK Covid-19 Impact Report, it states the public leisure and culture landscape is in a 'fragile position' and there is a 'high risk' of venues and facilities shutting down for good.

There is a fear that 18 per cent of swimming pools owned by its members will be lost.

Jayne continued:

"I grew up in a town that had a decent sized local authority-owned sports centre. I played badminton there in kids and then adults clubs and ended up playing for the county. At weekends in my teens, I went to the roller disco there. I did school swimming lessons there and, in the end, got my swimming certificate. I would never have bothered learning to swim otherwise.

"I found it odd when I moved to Falmouth because it is a decent-sized town with no community sports centre or proper swimming pool. It could do with one.

"GLL/Better is the community interest company who have a 25-year contract to run our sports centres. They are struggling financially to re-open centres.

"The Council can't afford to bail them out and the government doesn't show much intention of wanting to either. It would make so much more sense if these places were publicly owned locally again. A couple are already in Cornwall."

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