Mike German and Pool Protesters: 'Keep Edwardsville open'

12.00.00am GMT Tue 11th Dec 2007

South Wales East AM Michael German today met protesters campaigning to save another pool in his constituency threatened with closure by the local council. The Welsh Liberal Democrat leader accepted a petition on behalf of the Assembly Petitions Committee to keep Edwardsville swimming pool in Treharris open.

Mr German said: "Local campaigners contacted me because they feel strongly that many services in the Merthyr Tydfil area are concentrated on the town centre, and they didn't want to lose the pool in the same way.

"School pupils in Treharris can walk to Edwardsville, but they wouldn't be able to walk to the centre of Merthyr, where the Council are promising another pool.

"Treharris is a Communities First area, where the government is trying to encourage sport and exercise. Closing a local swimming pool is not the way to achieve this.

"It is a well-loved and popular facility and I think it is right that the Assembly gets the chance to question this decision. The petitioners have collected 1300 signatures, and they tell me there are more to come.

"I have campaigned with local people in Blaenavon to keep their local swimming pool open. I'm sorry to have to work to save another swimming pool from closure."

Notes/Nodiadau:

Mike German AM met protesters including Treharris schoolchildren on the Senedd steps at the National Assembly for Wales to receive the petition.

Petition reads: 'Edwardsville swimming pool is a much loved and well used facility. It is a focal point in our local community, though it is also used by people from the surrounding area. Merthyr Tydfil Borough Council plan to close this facility, thus depriving our community of the opportunity to swim locally and keep healthy.

'We the undersigned would like children to have their right to along and healthy life fully protected by the availability of swimming facilities that many of them can walk to. We therefore call on the assembly to do all it can to assist us to keep swimming pools such as the one in Edwardsville open for continued use to help maintain health and well-being in local communities.' This petition will be delivered to the Welsh Assembly for consideration by the Petitions Committee

Photo shows Mike German talking to Edwardsville campaigners on the Senedd steps.