Hebden Bridge News

Suspicion Mounts Over Missing Swimming Pool Funds

Several residents of Hebden Bridge are becoming increasingly concerned over the whereabouts of massive sums of money supposedly being held in trust by Hebden Royd & District Swimming Pool Association, and intended to fund the building of a new community swimming pool in the town. And rumours of massive accounting irregularites suggest that as much as £500,000 could have disappeared from a total of approximately £885,000 raised by the sale of land to Richardson Developments.

In addition to the £885,000 received by the charity, many local residents also made substantial donations to the fund, hoping to realise a much needed local leisure facility. To many of them, the behaviour of the charity now appears suspect and underhand, possibly even criminal.

Registered as a charity in 1988, Hebden Royd & District Swimming Pool Association, has yet make any attempt to explain the apparent disappearance of nearly half a million pounds, or indeed, to repay money to those who made donations in good faith that the project would be realised.

Currently, the trustees of Hebden Royd & District Swimming Pool Association are recorded by the Charity Commission as being, Dorothy Sutcliffe of Blackshaw Head, an Eileen Barnes, and a Mr Richard H. Marshall.

Information held by the Charity Commission highlight that Hebden Royd & District Swimming Pool Association has failed to file accounts since 2003, a direct breach of the regulations governing charitable organisations, amplifying the increasing mistrust already felt by many in the community.

It seems unlikely that Hebden Bridge will ever get the much needed swimming pool promised by the trust, and that worse still, they may never recover or even establish what happened to the money which the community had donated toward the project.

The representatives of Hebden Royd & District Swimming Pool Association were unavailable for comment on the matter at the time of writing.

Click Here to View Details On Hebden Royd & District Swimming Pool Association Held By The Charity Commission

Click Here To Read A Related Hebden Bridge Times Article From 2007