A BUMPER summer for Lydney’s Bathurst Pool got even better thanks to a donation from Forest Masons.

Last year’s Worshipful Master of the Royal Forest of Dean Lodge of the organisation, Paul Carter, presented a cheque for £3,000 to pool trustees.

Mr Carter chose the pool as his charity for the year because of the “fantastic” work done by the volunteers who run it – including his wife, Hazel.

The money was raised by members of, and visitors to, the lodge, which meets once a month between October and May in Newnham.

Mr Carter said: “We have a collection and we have raffles, but the biggest event is the ladies’ evening which was held at Forest Hills (golf club).

“The pool is run by volunteers and they do a fantastic job and I wanted to support that.”

Pool manager Bob Berryman said the donation will go towards paying for an electronic pool cover which will cost between £30,000 and £35,000.

He said: “We have a pool cover which we’ve had since 2003, but it’s terrible and keeps on trying to rip as you pull it.”

The cover’s main job is to keep debris from falling into the pool during the autumn and winter closed season.

Mr Berryman said this summer had been “manic” with swimmer coming from as far as Bristol and Abergavenny to enjoy the open-air pool, which was given to the town by the Bathurst family in the 1920s.

He said: “We had more people through the gates three weeks ago than we did during the whole of last summer.

“It got to the point where we had to close the gates and allow one in as one came out.”

The new cover will be fitted when the pool closes in September. Among the other donations received have been £4,000 from Tesco and £1,500 from Gloucestershire County Council.

The Forest Masons’ donation came via the Gloucestershire Masons’ Grand Charity.

Mr John Thurston, of Gloucestershire Masons, said: “This is a sizeable donation from the Royal Forest of Dean Lodge which will help Bathurst Pool.

“Bathurst Pool is a well-loved facility in Lydney and beyond and the work of the volunteers who run it has recently been recognised by a national volunteering award.”