The Ward Freman swimming pool requires significant funding in order to make it a desirable, fit for purpose pool once again. The pool was built in 1976 and stands pretty much as it was built. Whilst it has had some repairs and upgrades over the years, the filtration system is believed to be the original and is no longer fit for purpose. Hence the decision of the District Council to close the pool in December 2023.

Inspection of the filter tank, thought to be original to the pool and well past it’s shelf life!

Aspirations for a pool fit for the 21st Century

The Ward Freman Community Pool Group is aware that in order to reopen the swimming pool, the very least that needs to be done is: repair the broken tiles on the pool floor and invest in new filtration and chemical dosing equipment.

However, in order to improve the efficiency of the building we are investigating Air Source Heat Pumps as an environmentally friendly option to heat the pool water, along with solar panels to generate the majority of our own electricity.

Improving the customer experience is also very important to us. We know we need to provide modern, clean, warm changing rooms with lockers that lock and showers that work! We also intend to improve the viewing area of the pool along with a café and offer a timetable with a variety of water based activities throughout the day.

Funding – Community Ownership Fund

To achieve all our aspirations we will need considerable funding and we will be applying for a Community Ownership Fund (COF) grant. This is a £150million fund provided by the Government Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, to help local communities take control of assets, amenities or facilities that are at risk of loss without community intervention. So far £71.4million has been awarded to 257 different projects across the UK and the final round of applications is due to open late May 2024. Each grant can be up to £2million, with any request over £250 000 requiring a detailed application.

Currently Hertfordshire County Council (the pool owners) have no plans to reopen the site as a swimming pool, so this valuable, much loved facility has already been lost to the community of Buntingford and surrounding villages. We therefore feel that we meet the criteria to apply for a Community Ownership Fund to save the Ward Freman pool and run it for the community, by the community.

The exact amount of money we will be applying for is being calculated with quotes still coming in for the various aspects of the project. We will however need to match fund at least 20% of the costs. So if we apply for £1million we will need to demonstrate how we would match fund this with £200 000. We aim to raise our match funding by seeking other grants and fundraising.

Community Support

The COF also asks for a demonstration of community support. This has been evident from the start of our campaign when a petition with over 1200 signatures was presented to East Herts District Council in December 2023 requesting to keep the pool open.

An online questionnaire was completed by 661 individuals, gaining an insight in how the pool was used or barriers to using the pool and how they would like to see the pool opened in the future.

A ‘go fund me’ page was set up by a local resident and raised £890 in the first month.

We have been engaging further with the community through volunteers and stalls at local events. The Barkway Market 2024 was a chance to update the public on our plans so far and an additional 125 individuals signed up to keep in touch via our e-newsletter. We hope to be popping up at as many community events as possible over the next couple of months.

All the letters and emails of support from local councils, schools, clubs, businesses and individuals are being collated and shared on our Community Engagement page, if you would like to add your own words of support please get in touch via our contact form.

Trustee Alison Barr with volunteers Richard and Georgina at the Barkway Market 11th May 2024