GOODHEW ADDS WEIGHT TO 50M POOL PETITION
Former Olympic swimming gold medallist Duncan Goodhew MBE
will join swimmers and coaches from across Hillingdon when
they deliver a petition to Downing Street to call for contribution
funding to include a 50-meter pool at Hillingdon House Farm.
Goodhew, who won gold in the 100m Breaststroke and bronze
in the 4x100 Medley Relay at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, will
be accompanied by Haig Oundjian, the double skating Olympian
who is a sponsor of the newly formed Harefield Academy School
in West London and is a UK delegate for British 2012 Olympic
bid.
They will join Hillingdon Borough Swimming Coach David Hemmings
and potential 2012 Swimming Olympians from West London when
they take the petition, now containing more than 3,000 signatures,
to Downing Street on Thursday (25th May).
A special afternoon petition slot has been arranged at Downing
Street so the swimmers do not miss school.
The petition, which interested parties can still sign, calls
on the Government to provide £5million of additional
funding necessary to create the 50m pool, allowing West London
children to train and be part of the "Olympic Dream"
created by London 2012.
Mark Nuttall, Chairman of Ruislip-Northwood Swim Squad and
Hillingdon Borough, has been instrumental in calling for the
50m option which already has planning approval.
"Hillingdon has an unparalleled opportunity to become
a UK beacon of excellence for swimming with equally excellent
transport links serving the whole of London and the surrounding
areas," said Nuttall.
"The Borough is already moving ahead with plans to refurbish
the former Lido at Hillingdon House Farm and build a 25m pool
at a cost of £21 million. The additional funding, which
equates to just £1.65 million a year over three funding
years, will deliver a world class modern facility with the
flexibility to cater for competitive and social needs which
will serve the whole of the West London community.
"This is an exciting opportunity, it is the obvious
choice for the western quarter but it needs national support
to deliver this project.
"We already have national medalling swimmers on the
British Swimming Age Group Programme, the plans have the full
support of David Sparkes, Chief Executive of the Amateur Swimming
Association and we are working closely with British Swimming
to produce London's Olympians for 2012.
"The simple fact is that there are too few 50-meter
pools in the UK to deliver homegrown 2012 Olympians. In fact,
in evidence given at Parliament in 2003, the point was made
that there are more 50-meter swimming pools in Paris than
we have in the whole of the UK."
Those wanting to add their names to the petition can still
do so by visiting the website www.rnss.co.uk
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