Frequently Asked Questions

  • Minehead Swimming and Leisure Limited (MSL) formed in 2020 under the direction of several local residents, with the goal of bringing a full-sized, indoor, community-owned public swimming pool to Minehead, for use by residents throughout West Somerset.

    We are a type of constituted group called a Community Benefit Society, regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) – you can view our details on the FCA website here.

    The Directors are all volunteers. In order to make sure the project has additional professional inputs and is based on co-operative principles, as needed we engage the services of a social enterprise development agency called South West Co-operative Development.

  • As a Community Benefit Society, we are owned by our members. Yes, that means our members will own the swimming pool! Members can come to member meetings and our Annual General Meeting, where they can have their voices heard and participate in decision-making.

    Anyone who resides in West Somerset (or has a connection to the area) can become a member by buying a “community share” in our Society. A share costs just £1 and is a one-time cost. Of course, you are welcome to buy more than one share (as a contribution to our fundraising), but each member gets only one vote, regardless of how many shares they own.

    Once up and running, the pool will essentially be run as a co-operative. Find out more about what a co-operative is here. The added advantages of being a Community Benefit Society is that the pool will have a statutory “asset lock” whereby, should anything happen to MSL in the future, the facility must continue to benefit the community.

  • That’s the million pound question. Several million actually, according to our early estimates.

    Because we are running MSL as a co-operative, we are able to issue something called community shares. Each share costs £1 and their value doesn’t change. By buying just one share (or as many as you like) you become a member of MSL. This entitles you to receive updates, elect the board of Directors and attend meetings to have your say in the project. It’s like when a company has shareholders, but our shareholders are you, the people of West Somerset.

    Your money funds MSL and its work. At the moment we need to do things like pre-planning with the council, business forecasts and apply for grants. If you join as a member, you help us do this.

    But we can’t raise the full build costs this way. Although members will be the ones in charge, we are seeking grants and eventually a full development loan to build the facility. Once open, it will run like any other business, and make money to pay back its debts.

  • We aren’t sure yet, but we are looking at multiple possible sites in Minehead that are earmarked for leisure development. In order to choose one, we need advice from Somerset Council and surveys, which we are doing at the moment.

  • At the moment, we think it is going to take until around 2029 for the pool to open. This depends on funding, planning permission and local support.

  • There are a few privately-owned pools in the area that can sometimes be used by the public, however they are small in size, inadequate for aqua-therapy, not available for single swimmers, not accessible to those living with a disability, and/or their opening times are restricted to only certain times of the day, week or year. They do not adequately meet the swimming needs of the people of West Somerset.

  • We have done research and financial modelling and believe it to be financially viable, yes. In addition to the population of Minehead itself, the pool will also serve many surrounding towns, villages and rural areas of West Somerset; the total catchment population is estimated (conservatively) to be 27,000 people. There are many community-owned pools in the country, some with a smaller catchment population, which have been running for decades! The fact that some county councils are no longer willing to fund swimming pools isn't necessarily due to their financial viability, it is often a choice that reflects their over-stretched budgets and competing needs. 

  • Minehead Swimming & Leisure is the successor to what used to be called the Minehead Swimming Pool Project. Pre-pandemic, the project did conduct some small-scale fundraising activities, such as collection pots in shops, and these funds were gratefully received and rolled over into MSL. In fact, these funds were instrumental in covering some basic costs to allow us to progress the project to the point it is at today. To date, there has been no large-scale fundraising, nor major donor funds received, although we are currently in the process of applying for grants. While the publicity for community members to join the Society by buying shares will raise a small amount of funds, the main purpose is in fact to garner public support for, and participation in, the efforts to bring a swimming pool back to Minehead.

    We understand that others parties have been expending efforts and publicity for an outdoor swimming pool in Minehead. However, MSL cannot speak to this; we believe West Somerset needs an indoor pool.

  • The single most important thing you can do is join MSL as a member, by buying one or more shares in the Society. This will be crucial in demonstrating to donors and investors that the project has the strong backing of the local community. 

    You can also show your support by playing the Somerset West Lottery and choosing Minehead Swimming & Leisure as your “good cause”. We get a small but steady trickle of funds coming in from the lottery, which is an important contribution to our overall fundraising efforts.