WE talk about making a healthy society and yet once again, with the pending closure of New Earswick Swimming Pool, we are taking another backward step.

A short time ago Yearsley Swimming Baths were saved from closure because of the efforts of parents and swimmers who wanted to encourage children to get away from their X Boxes, laptops and mobile phones in order to exercise their whole body and not just their fingers.

Over the past few years we have seen a lot of local sporting venues close because owners of such facilities see a bit of land that could be turned into building plots and make them a bit of money with no regard to the fitness of the public.

Even our local council is guilty of this by closing some bowling greens and no longer maintaining the ones that are left.

They have given the maintenance of the ones that are left to volunteers of the clubs involved.

In time these volunteers will no longer be there, giving the council the opportunity to build on these facilities.

My grandson, who is 12 years old, has been swimming at New Earswick for seven years.

My granddaughter, who is four years old, has just started.

Where are they, and many others, supposed to go to continue their strive for fitness and recreation?

The founders of the Joseph Rowntree Trust would turn over in their graves if their pool and their vision of servicing the community would come to an end.

A P Cox, Heath Close, Holgate, York