At a time when attention is once again focussed on the River Avon flowing through Bath, it is truly good news that the campaign to restore the open-air Cleveland Pools, on the banks of the Avon, has received such an amazing push forward in the form of lottery funding of more than £4 million.
Until its unjustified closure in the early 1980s, the pool was a much used and very popular recreation facility, as all the old photos confirm. It is also a unique survival from Britain`s Georgian period and could not be in a better place than the World Heritage City of Bath.
So let`s congratulate all of those volunteers who have so effectively campaigned, publicised and cleared the undergrowth.
Let`s also, for once, give credit to the councillors, particularly in Walcot, who took up the challenge to ensure that B&NES Council had faith in the campaigners, and then ensured that this year`s council budget set aside an additional sum of £200,000, conditional on the lottery funding grant.
Finally, there should be an overdue word of thanks to Janice Dreisbach, who was one of the first people to recognise the potential of Cleveland Pools. Before retiring to Midsomer Norton, Janice was the prime mover in so many local campaigns relating to issues along the London Road. However, her work, early in the campaign to revive the Cleveland Pools should go down as one of her major achievements.
Alex Schlesinger.
Chair London Road and Snow Hill Partnership.
Walcot Buildings,
London Road
