Olympic gold medal swimmer Duncan Goodhew is backing the campaign to save Abingdon outdoor pool.

When he read about the campaign to save the pool and the Save The Outdoor Pool campaign (Stop), Mr Goodhew decided to dive in.

He said: "Two years ago I lent my support to the campaign to save Wallingford's Riverside. Rightly, that campaign was ultimately successful, which is great. I am happy to support the campaign to keep Abingdon's outdoor pool open as well."

He said outdoor pools were valuable assets for the community. They encouraged children to swim and to see swimming as a fun and recreational activity for life, providing an alternative to swimming in rivers, which were a high risk to children.

Mr Goodhew added: "An outdoor pool also offers young people a healthy, positive and supervised alternative to hanging around on street corners during the long hot summer holidays. Pools also attract tourists, day visitors and business.

"The pool can be saved and should be saved because it really matters. Sadly, like the school playing fields, once they are sold off to developers or closed they are lost to our children and communities forever."

Mr Goodhew joined the Abingdon campaign after the Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for Wantage Ed Vaizey contacted him. Mr Vaizey said: "He was a great help two years ago and I thought he would be a big asset to the Abingdon pool fight. I sent him the petition website address and after he read the stories he had no hesitation in lending his support."

Stop's campaign is headed by children's author Paul Gustafson, who met Vale of White Horse District Council leader Jerry Patterson to see if the council was prepared to help financially with the move to draw up a business plan.

But Mr Gustafson -- writer of the Eggbert books -- said he was told the council could not help.

He said: "The council should help us because it has failed to come up with a proper business plan for the pool. Little money has been spent on the pool in recent years and now there is a huge bill for maintenance. We will be approaching businesses to get financial help for our campaign. I understand installing an alternative water feature could cost nearly £100,000, money that could help the pool.

"By blaming the Government for not allowing the council to increase the council tax, the council is passing the buck for its own failures in respect of this very precious asset for Abingdon."