A COMMUNITY is being urged to pull together to save a swimming pool.

Fears are growing for the future of Wolsingham's pool after Wear Valley District Council announced it was pulling out of a sharing scheme that was costing the authority £20,000 a year.

Now North Durham MP Hilary Armstrong has stepped in to urge villagers to create some kind of community group to try to safeguard the pool's future.

She said: "I have received quite a few letters and emails from a whole range of people, including schoolchildren, parents and doctors, who would like to see the pool remain open to the community.

"I have written to the director of education at Durham County Council, Keith Mitchell, and he has told me the council would be willing to meet with the community to talk about its future."

Miss Armstrong said she will now contact everyone who has written to her, along with the parish council, to encourage them to pull together and look at alternative funding.

The pool, which is in the grounds of Wolsingham Comprehensive School, is used twice a week by Wear Valley Swimming Club.

Club secretary Janet Alderton said if it closed parents would have to take children to Crook.

She said: "At present the club has a small but increasing group of swimmers attending sessions at Wolsingham Pool. If this pool closes the closest pool will be at Crook - a trip which can be difficult for parents with young children in tow."

Durham County Council, which owns the pool, said it still intended to use it for educational purposes.

A spokesman said: "We were disappointed to learn that Wear Valley District Council has withdrawn its support for community use at the school pool.

"If there were to be some sort of community effort or the creation of a working group, we would be happy to work with such a group to try to help find alternative sources of funding for community use to continue.

"We would also be prepared to fund a feasibility study into the issue.''