Volunteers spruce up pool in time for new season

VOLUNTEERS are rolling up their sleeves to get Portishead Open Air Pool spick and span ahead of the planned opening date of Saturday, April 20.

Improvements include updating the ladies' showers and a new floor finish in the changing room corridor. 

And as well as the usual cleaning and painting chores, more of the 50 year old paving slabs are being lifted to make way for new ones in the entrance area and a non slip surface down the left hand side of the pool. 

This is the second stage of a rolling programme to replace the old chipped and cracked slabs which can cause trips and stubbed toes. 

Pool volunteer, Barbara Thatcher, said: "The trust has been able to replace an area twice the size of that originally planned thanks to a match funded grant to £3,000 from Portishead Town Council who have unfailingly supported the pool since the original campaign in 2008 to save it from closure."

Previous grants have helped pay for the pool cover and the refurbished toddler pool

The trust has also appointed a full time manager, Natasha Sparey. 

Natasha, 26, has been employed in the leisure industry since school, working her way up from lifeguard and swimming teacher to become Assistant Pool Manager at the Haven Holiday Park,  Hafan y M™r,  North Wales last summer, where the pool complex can hold up to 500 swimmers at a time. 

She is also a keen rugby player and a member of St Mary's Old Boys RFC Ladies First XV.  Natasha says it is quite a coincidence that she will be based in Portishead as her team's main rival is Gordano RFC Ladies.

 She is thrilled to be working at the Open Air Pool and has lots of ideas for extending the range of swimming activities on offer and working with a great team of staff and volunteers.