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Save our Sauna: readers react to impending closure of popular facility

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Following our story regarding the plan to close Stratford Park’s iconic sauna, Stroud Times’ readers have reached out to show their dismay at losing a vital lifeblood of the community.

The people of Stroud are certainly not shy of a protest and the community has rallied with more than 100 sauna users creating a Save our Sauna Facebook page. The hope is new leisure centre operator Stroud District Council will consider the wellbeing of its members and provide a facility that’s fit for purpose.

Here, we share two open letters from disgruntled sauna members.

Dear Editor,

Can you help please, if I were new to Stroud and posed the following question where would you suggest and what would you think?

I’m looking for a social club where I won’t be judged for my outward appearance, I’d like to sit and chat, somewhere where someone struggling with substance abuse can chat with a police officer candidly, somewhere a teenager can get advice about his workout from a man in his forties, somewhere a lady in her 70s who’s suffered years of domestic abuse feels safe enough to chat to a bald, bearded, tattooed, biker, somewhere where I can have debate and my opinion will be heard, somewhere where I will be accepted and welcomed, where do I go?

Oh and I want it to be beneficial to my physical and mental health whilst I just sit and chat!

Most people would think this place doesn’t exist and it’s unrealistic to dream of such a place but I’m not new to Stroud and if someone asked me I’d tell them Stratford Park Sauna.

It’s not just a sauna it’s far more and closing it will be to the detriment of everyone.

Hugo

Dear Editor,

My name is Charlotte Turner, I am 20 years of age and I’m really concerned about the possible closure of the sauna at Stratford Park.

The sauna is an incredible well used space for lots of people. For all ages, as an example, I would rather go and use the sauna then go out with my friends and go and visit pubs, and I have lots of friends that would choose the sauna as an alternative option too.

A number of people have been told the sauna is set to close for good and this will impact hundreds of people that use that sauna every week and those that are regular users.

The health benefits that comes with using a sauna blows my mind everyday , it is so incredibly good for all parts of the body, and has incredible benefits both physically and mentally and in the current situation the world is in, this space is invaluable to the community.

Speaking with people that use this space, they only pay for their membership to actually use the sauna and nothing else at the centre. I am one of those individuals, finishing my days work and then going to the sauna has so many benefits that I believe would cause many problems if it was to be removed.

From past experience, my old home town in Corsham closed the steam room and sauna and more than 1,000 members left and they decided to reopen the sauna and steam room to get those regular members back.

Please have a possible rethink or a public vote before going ahead with this decision.

Fingers are crossed for everyone in the Stroud community.

Charlotte Turner

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