In this week's Councillor Column, Richard Trail, the SNP councillor for Helensburgh and Lomond South explains the popularity of swimming in Helensburgh.

**********

Swimming has long been a popular activity in Helensburgh.

The enterprise of the Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway Company in 1858 brought Helensburgh within easy reach of Glasgow city centre.

The resulting building boom brought in wealthy merchants to enjoy the benefits of coastal recreation and easy reach of their offices of business.

The sometimes prim Victorians found sea bathing a refreshing change from the strict social etiquette of everyday life and swimming off the front at Helensburgh grew in popularity.

Taking a dip in the salty brine was thought to be beneficial for both body and character.

As is the way when a there is a shared interest in a recreational activity, someone will propose forming a club. It came to being in 1891. This brought an organisation to the races off the pier for the entertainment of spectators and sharpen the competitive spirit of participants.

Sea bathing is for the hardy and became less attractive as the burgeoning city of Glasgow poured ever more sewage into the Clyde.

A wealthy patron, Bailie Andrew Buchanan, brought relief from these drawbacks in 1929 by gifting the town a new swimming pool.

It was large, a full 50 yards long, spacious and airy as the design did not require walls or roof. On a summer’s day it was the place to go for relief from the burning hot sun.

It provided a platform for the young adolescents to cultivate the body beautiful and parade for admirers as the skin changed from chalky white to bronzed tan.

The limited season that the open air pool was kept open, some 15 weeks of the year, irked and chafed. The Scottish holidaymakers discovered that not all seas were cold, and off the south coast of Spain it was singularly agreeable. There was nothing else for it: a new heated indoor pool had to be built and opened in 1976. Far from it being gifted to the town, the local council at the time demanded that the people demonstrate their commitment in tangible form by raising £25,000 towards the cost.

Now a new pool and leisure centre is proposed and the council has been consulting on the draft design. The public have expressed concerns and offered their views on what facilities have not been included and yet are desirable. The council has to determine what can be done to satisfy aspirations as far as the budget will allow.