It's great news for the residents of Rose Hill and Littlemore that Peers Sports Centre will remain open until the end of August, Peers' hopes rising (Oxford Mail, February 27).

This means that children aged eight-17 will be able to swim free unaccompanied by adults at Kids Swim sessions and will enjoy inflata-fun sessions and taster sessions in gymnastics and trampolining in the school holidays at their local pool.

One of the co-sponsors of the Academy, Oxford Brookes University, already offers a similar refurbished facility at Westminster Sports Centre at North Hinksey.

It has a swimming pool, two squash courts, a fitness suite and a sports hall, and it allows a neighbouring school timetabled use of the pool.

This is a great opportunity for the Oxford Academy to offer similar amenities in an area of Oxford where there is social and economic deprivation.

If it decides to include a swimming pool in its design plans, it would send a clear message to people in Rose Hill and Littlemore that it is really committed to supporting our communities.

Children from our local primary schools could learn to swim there, and local children will be more likely to transfer to the Academy at the age of 11.

The city council recently overturned Lib Dem plans for a fitness suite at Barton.

If the Academy includes this type of facility in its plans too, as Brookes has done at Botley, it would encourage community access (and student enrolment) from another of Oxford's major housing estates.

The Oxford Academy sponsors' decision to withdraw these facilities was based on information which has since been revised by the city council leisure services' officers.

Let's hope that they have the courage to revisit their decision now that the statistics have been verified, and think again about the needs of the local community.

It would really help with student recruitment too!

RUTH WILKINSON Save Peers Sports Centre Campaigners Thames View Road Rose Hill Oxford