A scheme to buy shares in Narberth Swimming Pool was successfully launched on Saturday.

It's the Friends of Narberth Pool's last attempt to save the facility from being closed at the start of next month.

Speaking at Tuesday night's monthly meeting of the town council, chairman of the Friends of Narberth Pool and Mayor of Narberth, Clr. Mrs. Sue Rees, explained that the first and most important part was to get ownership of the pool for the community and show the county council that the community was willing to support the plan.

She explained: "Pembrokeshire County Council agree that the plan we have is a good one, but the whole thing now depends on buying a biomass boiler and PV panels to provide a green, cheap power source for the pool, and in addition, will then enable us to draw down from the Government approximately £45,000 a year in RHI and FIT payments for the next 20 years. It is those payments that make the plan sustainable.

"The total bill for the boiler and the panels is £200,000, but Pembrokeshire County Council have agreed that if we can raise the money to buy the boiler, which will cost £130,000, before November 1, we can have the pool and take over on that date."

Clr. Mrs. Rees continued: "We have raised in excess of £68,000 to date and of that about £45,000 is for shares, so we still have to find investors for £85,000.

"The word is investor; we are not asking people to give us the money, although they can if they want to, we are asking them to invest in the future of the pool and Narberth. The capital remains theirs and we will be paying interest after three years of three to six per cent."

The minimum amount which can be invested is £200, with a maximum of £39,000.

"People can invest as individuals, as a group or a company," Clr. Mrs. Rees added.

Clr. Mrs. Rees concluded: "The second plan is to improve the building and the facilities, but this cannot be implemented until after the Friends have secured the pool and we have had our first year's trading. The cost of this plan will be raised with grants like the Lottery and others, but that can't happen until we have the pool."