STURMINSTER Newton splash pool may yet be saved, after 41 people turned up to a meeting to discuss its future.

Dorset County Council was originally going to close the pool at the Stourview Centre as part of a series of cutbacks saying the pool had few people using it and was becoming too expensive to maintain.

But they granted a stay of execution and said a business plan had to be produced for community-led management of the pool by the end of May.

Blackmore Vale county councillor David Fox called the meeting, along with community development worker Hugh DeIongh, to talk about a way forward and set up a working party to look into community management, legal structures and potential funding.

Cllr Fox told the Echo: "We set up a working group of about eight of us involving local groups serving senior citizens, Yewstock School and William Barnes School, plus involvement from the town council and SturQuest."

Cllr Fox said they would have initial discussions, then more structured meetings.

He added: "I think it is encouraging that there were that number of people there, plus quite a number of others who were not quite able to get there at 4pm on that afternoon.

"We have got a couple of carers as well as users' input and people who have used it for remedial and longer term.

"I thought we had a 30 percent chance before that. I reckon we are now on a 50 to 60 percent chance of pulling it off."

If you missed the meeting and would still like to offer help to try to save the pool, contact 01258 471456.