Divers 'devastated' as council cuts condemn club after 62 years

One of Scotland's last remaining diving pools is set to close due to local authority budget cuts.

South Ayrshire Council is axing the diving programme and shutting down the only diving pool on the west side of the country. The pool will instead be used for swimming lessons.

Hundreds dive at the Citadel Leisure Centre in Ayr every week, from members of the public to elite squad divers of all ages.

But now they will have to travel to Edinburgh, Dundee or Aberdeen if they want to continue.

The council said it "recognises the history of diving at the Citadel" and added "it was not an easy decision to make."

But athletes from the sport said the closure was devastating.

They also warned a lack of facilities in Scotland was hampering the development of new talent.

A petition has been launched by parents involved with Ayr Diving Club, which has been based at the pool since 1964.

And it has already gained more than 1,600 signatures in a week.

Clubs from across Scotland including Edinburgh Diving Club, Aberdeen Diving Club and Dundee Diving Club have backed the campaign.

It has also been supported by Olympic champions Tom Daley and Anthony Harding.

The council said all applications were considered to determine whether it was appropriate for the petition application to proceed to panel.

Heather Graham, from Bearsden, East Dunbartonshire, got into diving around two years ago after seeing a video of extreme cliff diving online.

The 13-year-old attended a diving camp at the Citadel and instantly fell in love with the sport.

She quickly excelled and joined one of the performance squads so she could take part in competitions.

Her mother, Pamela Graham, already drives Heather the 80-mile round trip to diving once or twice a week.

But she said if the centre closes Edinburgh would be too far and her daughter would have to give up the sport.

Pamela, 50, said: "If there was a diving pool at the bottom of our road Heather would be diving every day. She absolutely loves it.

"It's not just the thrill of the sport she enjoys. The community and confidence it gives her as a young teenager is so important.

"She has been really successful so far, entering competitions and training hard with the coaches."

The teenager won a gold medal the last time she competed in Edinburgh.

Her mother added: "We are both absolutely gutted that they might close the club.

"There is no way we could realistically travel to Edinburgh."

Heather said: "The diving club is really important to me, not just the diving but the friends I have made there and the support of the coaches.

"I'm really sad that they might close the club as l wouldn't be able to see my friends as well as miss out on one of the most fun sports I've ever done."

Kerr Cruishank, head coach at Ayr Diving Club, learned to dive at the pool from the age of 10.

He went on to compete across the UK and now teaches the next generation of divers.

The 25-year-old will not only lose his job but access to the sport he has loved for the last 15 years.

But he said his thoughts were for the next generation.

Kerr told BBC Scotland News: "I travelled across Scotland and to Wales and Ireland with my team and took part in the Celtic Cross Cup three times which was an amazing experience.

"Knowing that the kids are going to miss out on that along with having to give up the sport they love, seeing other pools competing after spending so many years training is really upsetting. "

Three-time Olympic diver Yona Knight-Wisdom, who trained and coached at the Royal Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh for six years, backed the petition,

He described the potential closure as another blow to the sport in Scotland.

Yona said: "There are only a few key locations in Scotland where you can go and dive, so closing down the only one that caters to the west coast is a huge loss.

"There is a huge gap in Scotland, there are so many young people unable to access facilities to dive.

"It is a shame because Scotland has produced so many good divers over the years - a number of Olympic divers - James Heatly and Grace Reid - who I trained alongside for a long time.

"It's such a strong diving country with a lot of history, so it is sad to lose a facility that was offering a sport in a world where it's already difficult enough to keep numbers in the sport and to keep it thriving."

Diving has also been left out of this summer's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow due to a streamlined, 10-sport programme.

But some athletes, like Knight-Wisdom, believe it is due to a lack of facilities.

He added: "We have seen diving excluded from the Commonwealth Games coming up this summer simply because Glasgow doesn't have a pool available.

"Diving is a really amazing sport and there is a lot of demand for it.

"The more facilities there are the better, that is one of the biggest barriers facing the sport at the moment," he said.

Peter Smith, who competed in the 1986 and 1990 Commonwealth Games, learnt to dive at the Citadel and spent more than a decade as head coach.

He hit headlines in the 1990 games after striking and cutting his head on the springboard while competing.

Smith, who remains president of the club, was shattered to hear about the potential closure and has urged anyone who could help to step in.

He told BBC Scotland News: "Ayr is the only place for miles around where children can take part in the exciting Olympic sport of diving.

"To lose this facility would deny future generations of children the opportunity to stay active in this unique and novel way.

"We at Ayr Diving Club hope that the powers-that-be will reconsider their plans to phase out diving at the Citadel Leisure Centre."

Scottish Swimming, the national governing body for swimming, diving, open water, artistic swimming and water polo in Scotland, said it was "disappointed" by South Ayrshire Council's decision.

Communications manager Kirsten Phillip said: "We recognise the ongoing challenges faced by the council to keep this facility open over the last few years, however the news will still come as a huge disappointment to the members of Ayr Diving Club.

"This highlights the increasing need for national investment in deep water swimming facilities to allow growing sports, such as diving, to continue across Scotland."

A South Ayrshire Council spokesperson said it was committed to supporting participation in aquatic sport and said the change would introduce 700 additional Learn 2 Swim places.

It will also continue to work with partners, including Scottish Swimming, to support swimmers and clubs through the transition.