A SUCCESSFUL first season as a community-run pool will be celebrated with a party and free swimming for all at Buckfastleigh Swimming Pool on Sunday.

The party will be at Victoria Park, Buckfastleigh, from 2pm until 6pm. As well as free swimming there’ll be food, music and a bouncy castle.

The Friends of Buckfastleigh Swimming Pool took over the running of the pool from Teignbridge Council in April.

The community volunteers pulled out all the stops to reline the pool and refurbish the poolside area, prior to its opening in May.

Chairman Pam Barrett said: ‘We’ve had an immensely successful first season.

‘We’ve achieved so much more than we thought possible and would like local residents and friends to come to our party and help us go out with a splash.

‘This season we have seen about 6,000 people swim in our pool, not including the hundreds of school swimming sessions that have taken place over the summer and this month.

‘We’ve also provided lifeguard training for local people, which meant we were able to extend the season until the end of September.

‘We now have a volunteer-run tuck shop and would like to thank all our volunteers for their help.

‘We’d also like to thank the staff from Teignbridge Council’s leisure department, who have been a real help to us during this first season.’

The Friends are now investigating running cold water swimming sessions during the winter, and will be busy with further refurbishment of the pool, using the remainder of the £75,000 Sport England grant which they were awarded earlier this year.

‘There’s so much more exciting work to be done,’ added Ms Barrett. ‘We have lots of plans for the pool and the wider park, so watch this space.’