KINGFISHER POOL CLOSURE

Yes.

Our gym and fitness classes (non-water-based) will continue to operate as normal.

Babergh District Council has started exploring future options for modern swimming facilities in the Sudbury area. But the cost of providing new swimming pools is significant.

How they are funded must be looked at on a national level.

Therefore, we do not currently have a reopening date. We will keep members updated as soon as we have more information.

There has been significant investment in repairs and maintenance of the pool, with a further £875k earmarked this year. Kingfisher’s pool is now approaching 40 years old – Swim England, the national governing body for swimming in England, says the average life of a pool is 38 years. Building owners Babergh District Council had hoped ongoing repairs and maintenance would extend the pool’s expected lifespan, but this is no longer viable.

No, that is a separate issue and has no bearing on the decision to close the pool. A temporary solution had been found for the atrium roof and longer-term solutions explored.

Babergh had already started to explore longer-term options for swimming facilities in Sudbury, and this work will continue. But the cost of building new pools is significant. How they are funded must be looked at on a national level.

In the meantime, swimming is available at Hadleigh Pool and Leisure, and Babergh is urgently looking for alternative swimming provision closer to Sudbury.

The pool will need to be decommissioned, and we will look at possible future options for use of that space.

• To reflect the reduction in services at Kingfisher, we’re applying a 15% discount to membership fees for the rest of 2026 as follows:-

– Above £30 per month for standard Membership
– Above £40 per month for Plus Membership
– Above £30 per month for Plus Concession Membership
– Above £19.50 for Young Persons Memberships

• Your membership still gives you full access to the gym, fitness classes and our other health and wellbeing facilities. We’ve reviewed our current facilities against comparable local memberships, and the above rates still offer genuinely strong value. That’s why we aren’t discounting fees at or below this level
• We’re also using this time to explore ways to expand the health and fitness programme at Kingfisher and our nearest pools, and we’ll share more as soon as we can.

We will automatically FREEZE your membership until further notice and issue a refund for the affected period. You do not need to contact us to arrange this.

• Refunds for the affected period and any outstanding credits from lessons cancelled before 17th September will be refunded. Refunds will land in your bank account by 30 September 2026.
• Your Family Membership fee will drop to £85 going forward, to reflect no swimming or lessons.
• Everything else stays active — full access to our gym, exercise classes, soft play and all other Abbeycroft centres.

• Unless you told us otherwise, we have automatically FROZEN your membership and issued refunds for the affected period. Refunds include any outstanding credits owed for any cancelled lessons and will land in your bank account by 30 September 2026.
• We recognise that continuity is important for swimmers progressing through lessons
• Members who wish to continue lessons at another one of our pools will have the option to discuss transferring where capacity is available. We will work with customers individually to explore suitable alternatives. Please let us know if you want to explore options via the form below
• Further information on lesson relocation options will be provided as soon as possible.

• For Swim Only, Swim Academy and Family Membership refunds being automatically processed, funds will be returned to your bank account by 30 September 2026.
• For Standard Membership refunds requested through our webform, funds will be returned within 10 working days of the request being processed.

• If your membership has been frozen, no further Direct Debit payments will be taken while the freeze remains in place.
• Before any Direct Debit payments are reinstated, we will provide at least 10 days’ advance notice.
• If you have any questions about your individual circumstances, please submit an enquiry using our customer enquiry form
• Our team will review your enquiry and respond as soon as possible.

• If you would still like to cancel your membership, please cancel your Direct Debit with your bank before your next payment is due. You DO NOT need to tell us.