The board of the Southern swimming pool say they have been given assurances that will allow it to stay open until a replacement facility is built.

Earlier this year, the Department of Education, Sport and Culture recommended that the pool should close and a motion was initially going to be put to Tynwald at the end of February to decide its fate.

But the facility was saved from closure when a new financial plan was presented to the DESC and the department said it would continue to provide £434,000 in funding to to enable the ongoing operation of the popular southern pool.

On Monday this week, representatives from the Southern Swimming Pool including board chairman Laurence Vaughan-Williams met with the Chief Minister Alfred Cannan, the DESC Minister Daphne Caine and her department’s chief executive officer Graham Kinrade.

The board said the meeting was ‘positive and underscored the commitment to collaboration’ to ensure continuity of swimming provision in the south of the island.

And the board’s chairman welcomed the Chief Minister’s assurance that there will be a replacement swimming pool included in the new Castle Rushen High School.

In a statement, it said: ‘It was also confirmed that government will continue to provide the annual subvention and access to minor capital works funding to the Southern Pool until the replacement facility is ready.

‘With this certainty, the chairman was confident that the pool would be able to maintain its existing operation.

‘The chairman stressed to the Chief Minister that he had the utmost confidence in the administrator, pool manager and excellent staff who he felt were instrumental in ensuring the effective operation of the pool.

‘These assurances mean that the Southern Pool will continue to be an active and valuable part of the community, improving the health and well-being of the local population.’