AS its season gets underway, Lydney’s open-air pool has a chance to replace its ageing winter pool cover thanks to supermarket funding.

Bathurst Pool lifted the cover on Saturday, April 28, for serious swimmers, who took the plunge despite temperatures of only 10 degrees centigrade. But chair of friends’ group, Bob Berryman, says the winter cover, installed in 2003, needs replacing.

Tesco Bags of Help scheme asked shoppers in its Lydney and Coleford local branches to choose between the scheme at Bathurst Pool, the Forest of Dean Buddy Club, offering a holiday break for wheelchair users and special needs groups, and planters and baskets for Lydney in Bloom.

Friends of Bathurst Pool were awarded £4,000, while the buddy club received £2,000 and Lydney in Bloom will get £1,000 from the supermarket chain.

“Thank you so much to everyone who supported us,” Bob said. “The cover is getting old and, when we pulled it back earlier this spring, it started to tear in places. The new cover will cost between £36,000 and £40,000.

“We hope that, with a good summer, we won’t need to look for outside funding.

“When we opened the water was only 10 degrees. The sunshine we had and the solar panels mean it was soon up to 15 degrees though and there were queues over the bank holiday even though we don’t open until May 28.

“We’ve already had lots of serious swimmers registering. They use the pool before it opens to the public and through the season.

“We’re the chairman’s charity for Lydney Golf Club and the chosen charity for the Masonic Lodge in Newnham. We think this means we can fund the cover as we’re not there to sit on funds and this really would be money well spent.

“We’ve been to Portishead Open Air Pool to see their excellent cover. We helped them set up when they were closed by the council and we have had a good working relationship with them since.”