I can't speak as a huge authority on the minutiae of the detail, but I'm certain that the continued presence of Portishead Open Air Pool is vital not just to the residents of the town who hold it so dear, but also to thousands of residents of Bristol who have this unique facility available so nearby.

My children have benefited tremendously from this facility.

Clearly, it's a highly weather-dependent facility, which North Somerset Council deputy leader Elfan Ap Rees seemed very keen to underline ("Pool doomed", Post, September 27).

It saddens me that people in positions of power have such an attitude of contempt towards amenities that provide a valuable and wholesome experience for so many people.

It provides an opportunity for fresh air, exercise and exposure to the sun – a cocktail, in my view, of very positive ingredients for young and old.

This kind of facility in particular hugely benefits children, and the continued erosion of these kind of facilities is bound to have a negative knock-on effect on the well-being of our youngsters.

Shouldn't the costs of the dampening of some youngsters' spirits in the light of this proposed closure be taken into account, given that costs seems to be the primary motive?

This pool closing would be a tragedy for so many reasons, and the people I was with at the pool on possibly its last day of opening shared a sense of despair that something essentially so good (albeit costly) was to be judged solely in economic terms.

If it's solely cost, couldn't Bristol City Council contribute to the running costs?

I, for one, would more than happily pay a few pounds a year to see its future secure, and I bet thousands of other Bristolians would share that view.

Laurence Irvine, Southville.