A good Year!

In October 2004, we placed our new winter cover over the pool, saving us from having to empty & manually scrub the inside of the pool in the spring of 2005. Many thanks go to the team, led by Frank Blaker, who tied & screwed the cover down. It had the desired effect, when in the spring, we were able to dose the pool with chemicals & bring the water back to a good sanitary level.

We had an early start to the preparation of the pool, after agreeing that a small film company from Bristol could use it, for an outside location in the beginning of May.

Due to the fact, that the film was set in the 30’s we were asked to paint the changing rooms in a suitable shade for that period and although I, personally, had reservations when I first saw the shade of green chosen, I had to admit I was pleased with the results.

Not only that but, Robert Richardson, the manager of our local Co-Op, chose the pool to do some community work for. One Saturday in April, along with the usual band of helpers, five Co-Op managers, some resplendent in overalls, turned up & painted the whole of the external fence & most of the changing room doors in the required green. They were also very generous in paying for the paint & other materials required.

In early May a couple of sign writers from the film company arrived to paint some pool rules on our walls & make sure everything was set up for filming. The company spent two days filming at the pool. It was interesting to see how things were done & amazing to hear how noisy our little town was as tractors & lorries passed by & planes flew overhead – stopping production on a regular basis.

The pre season Pool Attendants course, along with the one booked for June resulted in thirteen new PA’s. 2005 saw the first Aquathlon held at the pool, an event consisting of swimming followed by running & organised in the main, by Sarah Heard & Joy Munnion on behalf of Kingsmead Society. Although the number of participants was low, everyone seemed to have fun & judging by the glow in their cheeks, they’d given the task they’re all!

The season on the whole was a good one with the usual highs & lows. It was lovely to see so many new faces as well as those more familiar ones, who support the pool year in, year out. Mother nature gave us everything from glorious sunshine to a week of rumbling thunderstorms!

Numbers were up on the gate as well as in memberships – this led to the usual, occasional, problem of too many people wanting to use the pool. As far as I’m aware no one had to wait more than 10 minutes outside the gate & everyone’s tempers seemed to keep themselves in check. As usual, the rota’s struggled to be filled towards the end of the season but I think most of our team did their bit & we must always remember that it is supposed to be voluntary!

The season ended on a slightly sour note with the pool being broken into no less than four times during the last week. Some damage was done to the summer cover & anything that wasn’t nailed down was thrown into the pool, including the cover & roller system, which fortunately comes apart & was therefore easily retrieved.

The members swimming gala took place on the last day of opening & although down on numbers, was enjoyed by those attending. The filtration system was drained down & the pool cover was replaced by Frank & friends, before the autumn wind saw the leaves from the trees.

As always, we are looking for more people to join our committee & our team of Pool Attendants. Twenty will have to renew their qualification this year if they are able to continue helping us, and whilst we have a handful that do return, it is inevitable that some will be unable to commit to another two years. Please consider the positions – we can never have too many helpers.

Finally, I’d like to thank everyone for their time & effort over the past year; the pool really does depend on people being generous with their time. It is hoped that we will be able to show the film, which was made at the pool & is about 15 minutes long on April 21st in The Bear skittle alley from 7.30pm. We’ll also be selling season tickets so please come along if you can. The expected date for the start of the season is May 20th.