Rye News has heard that when Freedom Leisure bosses announced the closure of the swimming pool at Rye Sports Centre last week, employees were advised: “Be careful about speaking to anyone about it for a week”.
Some outraged staff members refused to keep silent. Rye News, social media, local television, and a widely publicised petition, are giving a public voice to growing outrage against this closure.
The centre manager in Rye has worked hard to form a cohesive loyal team of professionals running activities in hand around the pool and the gym since the closures during Covid lockdowns but Freedom Leisure says there will only be a “skeleton staff” over the winter. With the pool closing there is a fear that membership of other classes at the centre will dwindle, begging the question, “How long will the leisure centre last?”
Ivan Horsfall Turner, the CEO of Freedom Leisure, admits his decision “goes against our ethos and vision of improving lives through leisure”. He also appears to be unapologetic about his reasons for choosing Rye, as one of two pool closures across the country. This decision puts leisure centre employees’ livelihoods and mortgages at stake.
The centre staff are being told that there will be efforts to relocate them to other jobs but with no guarantees and no assurance about paying travel costs to and from jobs outside Rye. Freedom Leisure wages are low and many staff are doing multiple jobs to keep afloat.
Town mayor Andi Rivett will hold a public meeting at the leisure centre this Saturday at 10am to gather even greater public support to save our swimming pool.
Image Credits: Nick Forman .
My partner and I visited the pool with a view taking full membership for the joining the facility.
We were courteously shown around by a staff member. Explaing the halls, gym, pool and changing facilities.
We asked about swimming lessons for our grandchildren,which it was explained was year round and not restricted to term time. We were shown the centre’s timetable and had the opportunity to sign up then.
We left to have a coffee at the Kino to think about it, and decided to chat first to our children about their thoughts for the grandchildren’s regularity of use.
Thank goodness we deferred the decision as three days later the closure was announced! If it is true that staff were told to keep quiet what an awful position for management to put that staff member in showing us around. What would have happened if we had signed up there and then?….diabolical
As an instructor at Rye Sports Centre, I feel very concerned about the loss of the pool which I know brings so much benefit to both children learning to swim and the elderly and less able bodied who find it not only beneficial to their health, but a means of meeting people in a warm comfortable environment over a cup of coffee after swimming or after their classes. This is so short sighted. I am well over retirement age and do not really need to ‘earn a living’ as such and enjoy the class that I instruct, but I am well aware of the many others working there who would struggle to find work if this valuable resource were to close. Very tough on those who have worked hard to run this facility.