Sidewalk chalk, protest signs and signatures: yesterday more than a hundred children from Heiloo took action to save the Baafje swimming pool. They wrote slogans on the ground in front of the entrance to the outdoor pool with sidewalk chalk and presented more than 4,000 signatures to the mayor.
It has been on the minds of swimming enthusiasts in the village for a few weeks now: the possible closure of their beloved swimming pool Het Baafje. Led by action group Red Het Baafje There were more than a hundred campaign feeders present yesterday, the vast majority of whom were children.
“I have swimming lessons there,” says Huib (10), who is sitting on the ground with sidewalk chalk. “It is a very nice swimming pool and I don’t want it to go away. I would have to go all the way to Alkmaar to swim. That would be very stupid.”
Money is the problem
Because the operator is bankrupt, the doors of the outdoor pool are now closed. The municipality, which owns the land, could ensure that the pool can still open. But then one thing is needed: money.
Whether that money will become available will become clear in the coming weeks. But if that doesn’t work, the children may have a solution: their own piggy bank. Curious? Watch the video below.
March 25 will be an exciting day. Then politicians meet to determine whether and how much money should be made available to save Baafje.