Primary school kids in swimming plea to Macdonald Hotels boss

Heartfelt pleas from primary school children in Aviemore have been sent to Macdonald Hotels’ headquarters urging the firm’s boss to allow them to go swimming again in the village.

Organisers of the Save Our Swimming 2018 group have posted around 50 hand-written letters from pupils at Aviemore Primary School asking for the doors to be reopened to them at the Macdonald resort.

A financial wrangle between Highland Council and the hotel giant means that the local authority’s High Life Highland members have been unable to swim at the popular facility since the end of August.

In recent weeks young and old as well as Aviemore’s seven GPs have spelt out how important swimming is to them through the columns of the Strathy.

Badenoch and Strathspey MP Drew Hendry has offered to mediate between the two parties to find a resolution to the stand-off which he says would be in everyone’s interest.

SOS 2018 coordinator Joe Kirby and supporters posted the children’s letters personally addressed to boss Donald Macdonald care of his Bathgate headquarters.

Mr Kirby said: "We have been informed that both parties may start talking again and that’s to be welcomed as it has been evident over the past two months the strong feeling within Badenoch and Strathspey over the no deal status. We need this resolved so all the various groups that used the pool can get back to swimming.

"We hope that these letters to Donald Macdonald and his board ring true and that everyone wakes up and as a community we can return to swimming.

"If a solution cannot be found then that asks another question: do we need to explore the feasibility of a Badenoch and Strathspey swimming pool?

"From a personal point of view I’d like to thank all those who have helped and got involved and it just goes to show that community spirit is still there throughout the strath."

The ongoing saga is to be raised at Highland Council’s headquarters in Inverness on Thursday.

Badenoch and Strathspey councillor John Bruce (Scottish Conservatives) had lodged a question for council leader Margaret Davidson quizzing her on the role of public money in securing public access for swimming at the resort.

He asks: "Given that HIE awarded an £8.5 million funding package to Macdonald Hotels to develop the Aviemore Resort – including the construction of the leisure arena in the early 2000s – should Macdonald Hotels not allow High Life card members to use the swimming-pool facility in view of the public funds they enjoyed and has this point been raised in negotiations?’

The council leader responded in papers that went before the meeting: "The core issue through negotiations with the resort was the financial terms of an agreement rather than public service or community obligations.

"Through successive agreements, there has always been a requirement for the council to provide funding to the resort to secure public access rather than it being provided at no cost to the council.

"Notwithstanding this, the council did seek advice some months ago from HIE, regarding the public funding arrangements related to the development of the Resort.

"The council will have further discussions with HIE, to explore whether there is anything further HIE can do to support the council’s wish to see public access restored."

She said the council remains open to further dialogue with the resort.

A spokesman for Macdonald Hotels said: "We have already written to Highland Council requesting further talks in the hope that we can resolve this unfortunate situation and resume access to the facilities for High Life members.

"We greatly appreciate the efforts of local politicians Drew Hendry and Kate Forbes in helping to broker talks.

"John Bruce's intervention will be judged on its own merits, but it's worth pointing out that the company which received support from Highlands and Islands Enterprise went into administration over a decade ago.

"Since we took over the resort in 2009, we have invested over £9.9m of our own funds to provide employment for thousands of people, regenerating the Highlands economy and supporting the local community."