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Olympic icon Hannah Miley backs Tain swim pool campaign





AN Olympian and Commonwealth Games champion has shared an impassioned appeal for the retention of an at-risk Easter Ross facility.

Tain Community Council will tonight host a public meeting to discuss a response to Highland Council’s consultation on the future of the Tain Royal Academy Community Complex (TRACC).

The community council “doesn't agree with any of the options presented by the Highland Council and want this excellent community facility to remain open”.

The public meeting is being held in the Gala marquee tent on the Tain Links today (June 30) at 7pm.

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Tain councillor urges public to voice concerns over ‘challenging’ Highland Council survey on future of TRACC

Public consultation on TRACC - Highland Council urge people to have say

It aims to ascertain options and set up a steering group “to move forward on the plan to save TRACC”.

Meanwhile, Hannah Miley, a triple Olympic swimmer for Team GB and double Commonwealth champion for Scotland, has intervened with a heartfelt video appeal in which she says that access to a simple community pool “pretty much changed the course of my life”.

She said: “It’s where I learned to be safe in the water.

“Swimming is not just a life skill. It’s not optional - it’s essential. We live on an island and are surrounded by water, lochs and lakes. Scotland has the worst drowning rate out of the UK and yet one in three children leave primary school unable to swim. It’s essential we kit our children

“Pools like the Tain Royal Academy Community Complex don’t just teach swimming, they support physical and mental health at every stage of life.”

She describes local pools as “community anchors - they are the beating heart of many communities andf they are where generations come together, parents teaching their children what they once learned.”

She adds: “When a pool is lost we lose more - it’s the connection, tradition and the future and it’s potential and once it’s gone it’s really difficult to get that back.”

She said: “I can completely understand that pressure budgets and hard decisions are incredibly difficult, however every pound that is invested in local leisure centres, the return value in health, reduction of NHS burdens, stronger communities is invaluable and without our pools we risk preventable tragedies, poorer health both in physical and mental health.

“So let’s not build a future that leaves children without these skills. I’m asking you not just to see a pool but to see what it gives. Let’s make sure that swimming is still part of the community story, now and from the generations to come.”

And that appeal has been endorsed by Scottish Paralympic swimmer Tony Shaw who said: “I know first hand the huge impact of having a local pool in communities. Not only is learning to swim a vital life skill for everyone. It also brings so many other benefits.

“Swimming is such a social activity in sport and you can make new friends, meet new people, develop your social skills from a young age to when you’re a lot older it’s maybe the only type of exercise older people can do so having a local people is really important I know from personal experience.

“Being able to go to my local pool helped me become the swimmer and person I am today. I’ve made lifelong friends at my local pool.”

She went on: “I know you have an amazing club in Tain with many great swimmers and it would be a real shame for them to not have access to that pool not only for competitive swimmers but just for everyone being able to swim and be safe around water is really important and I know without my local pool I might not have had that so saving TRACC is huge.”

As well as the upcoming community meeting, there are other things to highligh such as 3 Scottish Olympic and paralympic swimmers recording videos about our pool for Tain Amateur Swimming Club (Facebook page) and all the people around the town who are putting out gala scarecrow displays - all of them are about saving the pool! I wouldn't be surprised if it features on a few floats on Saturday at the gala parade too. We need as much media attention about all of this as possible if we have any hope of saving our pool!


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