MP petitions for swimming pool in coastal town

A WESTCOUNTRY MP has launched a formal Parliamentary petition calling on the Government to support the development of swimming pool facilities in Falmouth, following the 2022 closure of the Cornish town's only public pool.

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Jayne Kirkham, Labour MP for Truro and Falmouth, said that, despite Falmouth's connection to the sea, geographically, economically and culturally, the town is the only Community Area Partnership in Cornwall without a public swimming facility.

Recent figures from a primary school in Falmouth show that the percentage of children unable to swim 25 metres has surged from under 10% to 50%. Without a local pool, schools are having to transport pupils up to 40 minutes away to gain swimming skills, an option that is expensive and unsustainable, the MP argues.