HUNDREDS of campaigners have rallied against the possible closure of Whitehill swimming pool in Dennistoun.

An open meeting held at Whitehill Secondary School saw a packed auditorium of more than 200 people voice their opposition to the closure of the pool, which they say is vital to the community.

Leaked council budget options papers, seen by the Evening Times, showed the pool, which has around 200 full-time members, is one of several services at risk of the chop.

Dozens of speakers, including politicians to members of the community, charged and electric atmosphere as the auditorium reached a unanimous message – ‘not on our watch’.

Even a little girl wearing a pony hat told the council not to close down the pool, even though she could barely reach the microphone.

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A spokeswoman for Save Whitehill Pool said that the loss of the pool would severely impact an area with high levels of poverty and poor health. She said: “Forty per cent of children in Dennistoun are in poverty.

“That’s higher than the average Glasgow average. Life expectancies here are also lower than the Scottish average.

“Please join our campaign – united we will swim.”

Another speaker said: “The more I look at this, the more I look at the numbers, not only is it a stupid idea from a community point of view, it doesn’t make any economic sense either.”

The pool has been a community club since 1977 and campaigners are desperate to see it stay open.

The pool, visited 130,000 last year alone, has been a mainstay of the community, and is also home to Temple Swimming Club after their own pool was shut down.

One Temple Swimming Club member said: “We moved here in 2004, but in a huge city like Glasgow, there are only two clubs for people with disabilities.

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“Every single week Whitehill teaching pool is where 500 Glasgow children learn to swim. And that’s just one block. Before that there were a different 500, and after this there will be another 500, or so we hope.

“Whitehill is unique. It is the only teaching pool in the whole city where the Glasgow Life education department can guarantee BAME girls can have split-gendered swimming. Some of these girls are not allowed to swim unless they’re away from public view.

“Whitehill has the facilities to do that. The parents accept their children can go swimming, without it they’d have nowhere else to go.”

So far, almost 4,000 people have signed a petition by Whitehill Swimming Club to save the pool.

Paul Sweeney, MP for Glasgow North East, took time away from hectic week in Westminster to attend the meeting.

He said: “It’s another blow to a community that has suffered a lot in the last decade.

“The root cause of this has been a decade-long programme of austerity which has laid waste to our communities.

“A lot of it is to do with alienation. Communities feel that they are constantly besieged and their assets are stripped away from them.”

Glasgow City’s Council’s budget decision will be reached in February.