Community spirit shines in Axminster

MANY of our readers in Axminster would have been thrilled to read last week that the town’s Flamingo Pool won its bid for a share of the Big Lottery Fund’s ‘People’s Millions’ to go towards their aqua gym project.

But what we didn’t know at the time was how many telephone votes the Axminster project actually received.

Flamingo Pool manager Steve Buxton called Pulman’s View last week to tell us that out of the 114 local community projects up for the People’s Millions vote across the country - the aqua gym finished in third place overall! The project pulled in a staggering 13,781 votes. 

The gym was up against a project to create a sensory garden at a nursing home specialising in dementia near Truro, which managed just 2,511 votes in comparison.

It just goes to show what the local community can do when it pulls together, which I’m sure will boost the hopes of those campaigning to save key servicces in our area, whether it be libraries or in-patient beds at our local hospitals.

And, making a good news story even better, the sensory garden project in Cornwall didn’t miss out - the Mountford Makeover was given its £50,000 as a bonus award.                 

James Coles

www.viewfromonline.co.uk