A York family doctor who encourages patients to boost their health through swimming has dived in to support our campaign to save two York pools.

Dr Shona Gilleghan who is supporting our Save Our Swim campaign. She said swimming was an ideal form of exercise for improving health and helping people control their weight

Dr Shona Gilleghan, who practises at Fulford Park Surgery, Fulford, has added her support to the Evening Press Save Our Swim campaign after hearing the shock news that the Barbican and Yearsley Pools could be closed.

City of York Council is looking at closure proposals as part of a review of leisure.

Dr Gilleghan, who swims at least twice a week at the Barbican, said: "I think it would be a great loss, both personally and professionally, if anything that improves people's access to keeping and maintaining their fitness is taken away."

She said swimming was an ideal form of exercise for improving health and helping people control their weight.

She said: "I think the council should think again. If you close people's local pools they are unlikely to travel elsewhere and more likely to give up swimming."

Her husband, York District Hospital doctor Neil Jenkins, is also a keen swimmer. Her one-year-old son Tom learned to swim at Yearsley and enjoys regular dips at the Barbican.

Meanwhile, anti-closure campaigners made a big splash when they went out in York city centre gathering support for Save our Swim.

Volunteers who are backing both the Barbican and Yearsley Pools joined forces to gather signatures for their separate petitions in Parliament Street.

Barbican Pool campaigner Dorothy Nicholson said they had not yet counted up the signatures they had received, but felt if had been a useful day - despite the cold weather.

She added the best thing was the co-operation between the two groups, with each one directing people to sign the other's petition.

Fiona Evans, of the Yearsley Action Group, said they had gathered 1,891 signatures, helping them to a total of 6,451 so far. She said the event also helped to raise awareness of the issue.

If you wish to support the Evening Press Save Our Swim Campaign to protect both the Barbican and Yearsley pools, please write to us at: Save Our Swim, Evening Press Newsdesk, 76-86 Walmgate, York, YO1 9YN, or e-mail us at newsdesk@ycp.co.uk

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