London Borough Seeking 50-Meter Pool Funding to Enhance Training Opportunities

LONDON, May 24. FORMER Olympic swimming gold medalist Duncan Goodhew will join swimmers and coaches from across Hillingdon, a borough in London, 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 100-meter breaststroke and bronze in the 400 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.

The petition, which interested parties can still sign, calls on the Government to provide five million pounds of additional funding necessary to create the 50-meter 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 50-meter 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 25-meter 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.

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