A HELENSBURGH and Lomond councillor admits it has been a “difficult” year since the town’s leisure centre was put out of action by Storm Eowyn.
But Councillor Maurice Corry (Conservative, Lomond North), who is on the board of liveArgyll, hopes to see the swimming pool open again “by Easter if we can”.
The leisure centre has been closed since Friday, January 24, 2025, when parts of its roof were ripped off in high winds.
Work is ongoing to ensure it can reopen, and Councillor Corry stressed the importance of its use to the community and the need to reopen. Easter Sunday falls on April 5 in 2026.
He said: “It has been a difficult year, because we have had such an iconic leisure centre out of action, having looked forward to having it in operation.
“But it has proven how valuable it is to our area, and how popular it has been in our community and well thought about.
“We hope that when it returns, it will be even more popular. It has been a great asset and helps to improve the health and wellbeing of our community of all ages. We simply want it back open as soon as possible.
“The progress of getting it back open has been as quick as it possibly can be, because of very serious damage and all sorts of work to be done to get it repaired.
“There are also various contractors involved, and we have to agree everything with them which of course takes time. And we have the insurers to be satisfied that work has to be done.
“But I would like to see the actual pool part down the stairs open as soon as possible – by Easter if we can.
“If we can do that it would be a massive improvement and would be a great joy to everybody who uses it.
“It has been a difficult one, but we must remember that the storm damaged other leisure centres as well. We are where we are.”
Auchenharvie Leisure Centre, in Saltcoats in Ayrshire, also sustained damage to its roof during the storm.
Councillor Corry also praised the work done by liveArgyll’s staff to ensure gym and library services can continue in different locations since the storm.
He added: “They have done a fantastic job from day one after the storm, and I cannot thank them enough. They have been resilient and hardworking, and very clever in working around the problems.
“They have done their best to try and get other resources, which has not been easy, but we hope people know that when we get dates for coming back, they will return and enjoy the facilities, and necessary improvements will be made too.
“It is such a wonderful asset for us. We need to look after it and ensure everybody uses it where possible.
“I cannot wait to see it back in operation, and we are all keen to see it back open.”
