THE selfless volunteers who run the open-air pool in Lydney have been recognised by the Queen.

The Bathurst pool was under serious threat of closure some 15 years ago but a group of volunteers stepped in to save it and it is now a local treasure.

The pool has been given a National Voluntary Service Award – including a certificate signed by Her Majesty the Queen – one of 11 in Gloucestershire, 22 in the south west and 250 nationally.

It was presented by the Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire, Dame Janet Trotter, to pool stalwarts Bob and Sheila Berryman – although Mr Berryman emphasised it was very much a team effort.

Among the assessors was one of Dame Janet’s deputies, Viv Hargreaves who is a former editor of the Review’s sister paper The Forester.

Dame Janet, who is Her Majesty’s representative in Gloucestershire, said: “The Queen was mindful that people in the community do a huge amount and contribute a huge amount and she wanted to acknowledge that.

She said: “It is clear that volunteers are doing more, they are not just collecting money these days, they are doing much much more in contributing to their communities.

“They are learning new skills to do their roles better. To get an award volunteers have to be at the heart of their communities.

“You don’t have to do this work, you don’t get paid for it, you’re there because you want to be there and you want to give back to your communities.

She said the assessors were impressed by the commitment to keep the pool open when it was threatened with closure, to accessibility and by being a beacon of best practice.

She added: “Thank you for all that you do – you keep this absolute gem of the Forest alive for this generation and future generations and without you this place would not exist.”

Forest MP Mark Harper said: “A sign of your success is not the award but that if you drive past this place when it is open in the summer it is absolutely rammed with people from the community who use it, enjoy it and love it.

“That is the real prize but it is fantastic that you have been recognised formally by the Queen.”

Mr Berryman said: “We can’t do it without the helpers and the companies that come out of the woodwork to help us when we have a problem and usually without issuing us with an invoice.”

Lord Bathurst, whose family gave the pool to the town in 1923, told the Review he was proud to be associated with the facility.

He added: “It’s amazing – the whole thing was under serious threat 15 years ago. “There’s been huge energy from Bob and Sheila who generated a huge amount of goodwill and care.

“It’s become a jewel of the Forest and I’m very proud that the name is still on there and it is something the whole community can enjoy and benefit from.”