Trustees plan events for pool's 50th birthday

TRUSTEES at Portishead Open Air Pool are planning a series of celebrations to mark the lido's 50th birthday.

The pool, now under the management of a community trust, was opened on April 21, 1962 on by Alderman Charles Smith, who unveiled a commemorative plaque on the pool wall, which can still be seen today.

To mark the official opening, Mr Smith poured a tumbler of water into the pool, but as it was chilly, decided not to take a dip himself.

In the first week it opened, 1500 people came to use the pool.

The pool, which was heated by tanks of boiling water trucked in from the former Albright and Wilson Factory in the town, cost a total of £43,000 to build and was funded by Portishead Urban District Council.

One of the reasons a decision was taken to build a lido was safety, as there had been a number of casualties as a result of young people swimming in the channel at Battery Point.

Now trustees are planning a series of events to mark the special birthday and will be re-opening for the 2012 summer season on the pool's official birthday, April 21.

Although plans are still in the early stages, trustees are hoping to hold a party on the opening today complete with birthday cake and live music.

There are also plans in the pipeline to stage a mini Olympics at the lido, involving schools from the town, during two weeks in July.

The Olympic style swimming challenge will be held in the mornings before the pool opens to swimmers and see children competing against one another.

There are also plans to hold a similar event in the evenings, after the pool closes for business, for adults.

Trustees are also looking at a number of other events over the summer season, including an It's a Knockout competition, synchronised swimming displays and taster sessions, a tug of war and a triathlon.

There are also plans to organise a mini marathon at the Lake Grounds, starting and finishing at the heated pool..

Trustee Brenda Birkinshaw, who is co-ordinating the 50th celebrations, said: "At the moment we have come up with a lot of ideas to celebrate the pool's special birthday.

"The planning is still in the very early stages and a lot of ideas are still in the melting pot.

"We are planning to hold a mini Olympics event with the local schools and hope to open up a separate competition for adults.

"We will be celebrating the pool's birthday with a party which will feature a very special 50th birthday cake for people to enjoy.

"This is a landmark year for the pool, especially when you think a few years ago it was threatened with closure.

"At one point it was possible that the pool may not have got to celebrate its 50th birthday.

"Since being taken over by the trust the pool has gone from strength to strength and we want to mark this landmark occasion in style."

Mrs Birkinshaw is now appealing for people to come forward with ideas for the special celebration and wants to hear from those keen to get involved with organising events.

She added: "The pool is an icon in the Portishead community.

"We want local people to get involved with these celebrations and are keen to hear their ideas."

Mrs Birkinshaw's husband, John, is also planning to write a book about the pool's history to celebrate the special anniversary and is appealing for anyone with memories, photos or stories to tell about the pool to contact him.

A meeting is being held at Royal pub, Pier Road, on October 19 at 7.30pm for anyone wanting to share ideas or get involved with the celebrations.

Anyone wanting to find out more and get involved can also contact Mrs Birkinshaw at  Brenda@brendabirkinshaw.co.uk