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Campaign Of The Week Millom, the village fighting to stay afloat in the Lake District

THE small town of Millom in Cumbria is located on the edge of the Lake District, near the estuary of the River Duddon.

Although it is a “new” town, built in 1866, it can trace its roots back 1,000 years through a local castle and church, and the village the new town absorbed, Holborn Hill.

Millom’s economy was based on iron ore. But the industry vanished in the 1960s, and decline set in. Now its residents accuse the authorities – particularly Cumbria County Council (CCC) – of “systematically dismantling” the town and its public services.

Latest target for the council’s wrecking ball is the local public swimming pool. But the community is rising up in opposition to the plan, with the Save Millom Pool campaign.

Irene Rogan is one of the campaigners. “To date we now have no police station, no jobcentre, we’ve lost our banks, there’s no registry office, no local buses, no railway station. People now have to pay £6 to £7 to get to the nearest GP. Our library is under threat.”

In 2017, along with other communities in Cumbria, Millom suffered severe flooding. Irene says that one of the causes was the county council’s failure to clear gulleys and drains – basic maintenance work.

Then last year the council closed the swimming pool, saying it was in a state of disrepair, and announced that in June the pool would be demolished.

The townspeople reacted with their campaign of opposition. They won a reprieve, but plans are back in place for demolition to go ahead in October.

The campaigners learned of the plan through a newspaper article – and they’re having none of it.

“This is the second time in the past 10 months that the county council has tried to demolish our swimming pool against the people’s wishes,” said Irene.

“It was built by the Millom community nearly 60 years ago to provide swimming lessons, to prevent children and adults from drowning each year in treacherous waters.”

The group held a well-attended community meeting, met MPs, councillors, and even brought in their own independent surveyors to assess the viability of the pool.

“This was done in August, and proved that the council had exaggerated their own survey to close the pool,” said Irene. “Our survey proved that it was possible and cost-effective to keep the pool. There is little wrong with the pool.”

The campaigners believe the pool can help tackle some of the health problems in the town.

“Millom has high levels of obesity and mental health problems. The nearest swimming pool to Millom is 25 miles away. It will cost £200 per journey for schools to fulfil the national curriculum for swimming lessons,” she said.

The campaign group’s aim is to have the pool repaired and reopened for the next two to three years while the community raises funds to build a new pool.

The campaign has support from local businesses, local drama group Beggars’ Theatre, and through social media.
“The whole town is engaged,” said Irene.

“Millom is an isolated community, marginalised, overlooked. It highlights the great inconsistencies in treatment of communities in the whole county.

“We are still learning how to make the powers that be listen to a small community losing its identity,” said Irene.

The campaigners will stage a protest today, assembling at 10am on Millom school field, next to the pool.

 

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