Anonymous donor enables children in Schwalmstadt to visit outdoor pool free of charge

The donor coordinated the initiative together with the pool's support association, which receives donations, as well as with the town administration. The agreement was in place by the start of the school holidays. The money had already been received in a town account, it was said.

In the conversation with dpa, the man explained that in his own youth he had not been able to go to the swimming pool every day because it had been too expensive. "Das war in meiner Jugend so, das ging bei mir auch nicht", he said. Today he is older and has enough money, which is why he can now afford this kind of support.

Donor prefers to remain anonymous

He sums up his reasoning in an image that has long been proverbial in the region: "Das letzte Hemd hat keine Taschen. Da kann man das ja auch mal so für solche Sachen ausgeben." He describes swimming itself with enthusiasm: "Man schwebt im Wasser", he said, referring to the feeling of being able to watch clouds, gliders and storks while doing backstroke.

Should the sum prove insufficient, the donor announced a top-up. "Und wenn es nicht reicht, dann ärgert es zwar ein bisschen mein Portemonnaie, aber die Freude darüber, dass dann noch mehr Jugendliche da waren, die überwiegt das dann." The response to his gesture astonishes him himself. "Dass dies nun alle toll und großartig fänden, überrasche ihn völlig", reports dpa.

Town sees a sign of solidarity

Mayor Tobias Kreuter expressed gratitude for the donation. He described the donation as a wonderful sign of solidarity in the town and emphasised that it comes at exactly the right time, particularly for families who cannot go on holiday this summer.

The money is expressly intended to reach children and young people who would otherwise stay at home for cost reasons. The donor puts his goal this way: children should go to the swimming pool more often, have more contact with one another and have fun – and in doing so take a break from digital devices.

In addition to the swimming pool, the Ziegenhain-Bad also has a beach volleyball court and is located in the district of the same name in Schwalmstadt. The pool's support association had previously collected donations and is now also acting as an intermediary for the new campaign. The HNA had also reported on his plans according to the donor.

The campaign expressly runs only for the summer holidays. Should the response turn out greater than expected, the town would have to add funds or draw on further donations. Kreuter expressed confidence that families in Schwalmstadt would make good use of the offer.

The Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) distributed the story via its news channel. The donor had contacted the newspaper Hessische/Niedersächsische Allgemeine (HNA) and dpa – with the express wish not to be named in the media.