Splashed across the papers!

As the Splashback! campaign grows, so too do the column inches...  On Monday night, 12 Dec, the Edinburgh Evening News featured a head-to-head article between the Splashback! campaign, arguing against the closure, with Cllr Deidre Brock(Leith Walk ward, Head of the Council's Culture and Leisure and Vice Chair of Edinburgh Leisure board) outlining the Council's reasons for closure.

Full text here: http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/arts-blog/is_the_city_right_to_declare_the_end_of_waterworld_1_2004846



Cllr Brock wrote in to correct what she saw as factual inaccurancies in a letter to the editor in the following day's letter pages (Wed 14 Dec)...

Splashback have formally responded to Cllr Brocks' assertions, reasserting what we believe are the correct figures (fri 16 Dec)... 















Elsewhere in the Wed 14 Dec edition of the Edinburgh Evening News, the paper published the results of their survey of readers about the closure.  Hard to interpret this as anything else other than conclusive public support for the campaign's aim to keep the pool open, with 0% (not one person) voting for the closure under the reason that 'it is a drain on the city's resources'.



Meanwhile STV published on their website on Wed 14 Dec , an article written by Cllr Marjorie Thomas (Cllr for Leith Ward and also on the board of Edinburgh Leisure) outlining her rationale for why the pool must close.  Splashback's response was published today, Thursday 15 Dec, and is available here.

29 days to go!

Another busy day on the SUB outside Waterworld - and an additional further 500 signatures for the petition! People were happy to stop despite the freezing weather to sign... Thank you all for the support.




Support is growing as word spreads about the decision to close the pool on Jan 8th. Indeed over 220 people have got in touch with the Leith MP to discuss the matter... We urge constituents from across the city who have concerns about the closure to get in touch with their local Councillor this weekend, so they all have a bulging inbox on Monday morning! We believe this is not just an issue for Leith but for the whole of Edinburgh. You can download templates for letters here and find out the name of your Councillor from the Council's website...

In the mean time keep an eye on the media and the papers next week - below is a piece which appeared in online journal Bella Caledonia:

Save Leith Waterworld - We Have 40 Days to Reverse An Outrage
It has come as a shock to the local community that Leith Waterworld is set to close its doors for good on Monday 8th January. This shabby outrageous decision was being kept hidden from the local community but leaked out this week and has now been confirmed.

No one can deny that Leith Waterworld is a much-loved community asset. Kids adore it, it’s always busy, and it’s the only swimming pool in Edinburgh with flumes to play on. Although the pool is only be open three days a week in term time (the Council have been trying to run it down and close it for years) on the days it is open, come rain or shine, there are long queues of folk waiting to get in...... More

On the blocks...

Pictures of the SUB (the Swimming Utility Battlebus) in situ, from the first weekend of petitioning at Leith Waterworld - over 2000 signatures collected already! Fantastic support from Leithers, the Edinburgh public and from beyond...