Kingsbury High calls for swimming pool in Roe Green Park (From Harrow Times)

Kingsbury High calls for swimming pool in Roe Green Park

5:46pm Tuesday 9th December 2008

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A DEPUTY headteacher has backed calls for a swimming pool in a Kingsbury park.

Brent Council has plans to build a new pool somewhere in the north of the borough and residents and councillors say there are not enough places for young people to play sport in Queensbury and Kingsbury.

Nigel Jamieson, deputy headteacher at Kingsbury High School, in Princes Avenue, said: “We would love to have the swimming pool there. There's very little for the youth in terms of open or supervised activities.

“Whenever we run sports events we are absolutely inundated with children wanting to take part.”

He added: “It's quite frightening how many of our kids don't swim and they all say there's nothing to do.”

There used to be an open air swimming pool in Roe Green Park, in Kingsbury Road, and residents say it would be an ideal place to build a new one.

Some say there is anti-social behaviour in the area and believe the problem could be tackled if there was more for young people to do.

Mr Jamieson, who is head of the lower school, says he has lobbied for a swimming pool to be built at the site before and helped carry out a consultation on the subject.

He said: “I remember coming to this school as a young teacher and I still remember having the swimming gala out in the open air swimming pool in the late 70s.

“I cannot name a sports facility in the area that is publicly run.”

Queensbury residents have also been calling for a cricket pitch to be put in at Eton Grove Park, which they describe as the “crown jewel” of the area.

Kamlesh Ramani, 28, youth leader at Amrut Cricket Club, said he thought they could get more young people involved if they did not have to travel out of the area to play.

He said: “There's nowhere nearby. Of course it would increase the number of people playing with us because if you have to go far then you have to arrange travel.

“If you are playing cricket or football you need to work as a team and it will build those lessons between you and your friends, rather than going to other activities like crimes.”

Mr Ramani said nobody in the team drinks or smokes and claims they have several players who used to drink a lot but have now given up altogether.

Councillor Kanta Mistry (Cons, Queensbury) said: “We need the facilities to tackle youth crime, to distract people when they start veering towards anti-social behaviour and gang culture.

“If they have a path they are less likely to get into fights. I think they need direction and to me Queensbury needs these facilities up and running.”

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