April 2011 - The closure of Gloucester Park Swimming Pool

My mum sent me a cutting from the newspaper asking for any 50+ swimmers that had history with Gloucester Park Swimming Pool, to get in touch.  I was pleased to be one of three people chosen for the making of a film 'The history of Gloucester Park Pool'. The first man to swim in the pool, the architect and a 'swimming success story'.   It is intended to be kept in the archives in libraries around Essex so that in hundreds of years to come, it will still be possible for residents to see what Basildon used to look like long after the old buildings have been brought down.  I have also been advised that they are in negotiations with BBC to broadcast the film on 'The One Show'.  So with my scrapbooks under my arm and all my old photo's off I went. It was a very emotional afternoon as I soon learnt that they wanted me to be the very last person ever to swim up and down in the pool.  I was so choked walking around the changing rooms, now in my 50's, and it being completely silent, and remembering when I used to be running around them in my teens with all the laughter and messing about, dodging sessions etc.  Now you could hear a pin drop.  I was the only person in the room and I slowly made the journey back out onto poolside for the very last time.  I cannot even begin to think how many lengths I had trained in that pool as a teenager, all I could think of was, these are the very last lengths that anybody, anywhere will ever swim in this pool.  So with camera crew on me, I did a pathetic belly-flop in from the deep end (never could drive) and swam two lengths.  A mahoosive hose was draining the pool as I was swimming so I swam fast to avoid scraping the bottom.  I was then interviewed outside the building.  It was nerve wracking.  I wish I knew the questions they were gonna ask me beforehand so I could have given more thought to my answers, but I think I did OK.  So another chapter closed.  Next Saturday April 30th, the new Sports Village is being opened by Mark Foster and Duncan Goodhew.  I cannot be there, coz I will be doing a 24 hour swim challenge.