Help us save Ward Freman pool!

Ward Freman swimming pool is a much-loved 25m pool in Buntingford, a rural town in East Hertfordshire. Built and opened in the 1970s, the facility has a complicated history, with repair costs shared between two councils, and protected time for schools funded by the Department for Education.

With responsibility split and pool use limited, repair issues began to develop. Unfortunately, these issues worsened, and in Autumn 2023, the operators said they could no longer safely run the facility beyond Christmas. Ward Freman pool closed its doors on December 23rd 2023.

However, all is not lost! After hearing the news of closure, a group of residents have formed Ward Freman Community Pool Group CIO, with a mission to repair and reopen the pool. They are looking to apply to the Community Ownership Fund, a pot that provides up to £2m to save assets at risk of being lost. It presents a fantastic opportunity to not only fix all the repair issues, but also to modernise the internal space and make the whole building a real community asset.

BUT (there’s always a but!), to be in with the best chance of securing a grant, the group needs to demonstrate wider support and fundraising. This is where you come in! On Tuesday this week, I made a slightly late decision to use my London Marathon place as an opportunity to fundraise for the pool. I’ll be in my finest swimming accessories - arm bands, swimming costume (over my running stuff!), woggle, and anything else I can find - all for a good cause! Every donation makes a difference, no matter what size.

Thank you in advance for your support!