Swimming pool bought by charity for £1 reopens

A community pool bought by a charity for £1 has opened for the first time in three years after volunteers secured £393,000 of funding.

Ward Freman Swimming Pool in Buntingford, Hertfordshire, closed in 2023 after managers East Herts District Council said upgrades had become too costly.

In May 2026 it was bought by Ward Freman Community Pool Group, which funded repair work through grants and online fundraising.

General Manager Hazel Sleight said it felt "amazing" to reopen on Saturday, and she had been "blown away" by the support of the local community.

She said: "The whole community was devastated when it closed.

"It was a vital piece of fitness and enrichment for kids and adults. The trustees were determined to get it open again and here we are.

"The cafe kitchen and furniture have all been donated, volunteers have done 1,500 hours of work, giving up their time to paint walls and weed outside."

Upgrades included fixing broken tiles, arranging a new water supply, installing new changing rooms and the creation of the cafe.

The pool was built as part of the Ward Freman School, which opened in 1970.

Sleight said generations of children had learnt to swim in it, including her own.

She said: "The pool has been here so long, I swam in here as a child and I'm nearly 50 now. People have a big connection to it and really wanted it to stay open.

"Without volunteers giving up all those hours, it would have been a lot harder."

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