It's been a busy couple of months, working behind the scenes to keep the historic tidal swimming pool at Bude in North Cornwall open. I'm Rowena Hoseason, one of the founder members of the Friends of Bude Sea Pool -- and here's some of what our team have been getting up to recently...
LAST CHANCE TO DIVE IN
Don't miss the final showing of POOL OF DREAMS tonight, Saturday 16th March by Bude Youth Theatre at Budehaven Community School, at 7.30pm. This fabulous production tells the story of the Sea Pool from its origins in 1929, through to the present day, in an artful mix of performance, song and dance. This show really captures the soul of the Sea Pool – don't miss it! And of course, a proportion of the profits go to FoBSP.
See www.budeseapool.net/bude-youth-theatre-pool-of-dreams-play-14-16-march
STRUCTURAL WORKS NEARLY FINISHED
The extensive building works at the Pool are nearly complete. Our contractors have been at work for the past month, carrying out some urgent remedial work (fixing the leak in the wall!) and replacing the defunct sluice gate with a more flexible system. This will allow us to get access to the Pool's interior more easily, to remove the sand and rocks, and give it a good clean more often. If the weather and tides permit, the new gate system will be installed this week, and the Pool should be full again thereafter. This has been a major project for us, the second phase of vital structural repairs, and we couldn't have done it without all the hard work from FoBSP members and supporters who've raised the necessary funds. Give yourselves a pat on the back!
To check on progress and see if the Pool is full again, see www.budewebcam.co.uk/seapool.htm or follow us on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/budeseapool for frequent updates.
CELEBRATE ST PATRICK'S DAY!
The Falcon Hotel in Bude are holding a St Patrick's Day celebration this Sunday 17th in Bude, all evening, with the FoBSP team on hand to raise funds for the Pool. Drop by if you fancy a spot of the old Irish!
PUB QUIZ, March 27th
Fancy a fun evening with funds going to our favourite cause? Head to the Preston Gate pub at Poughill then on Wednesday March 27th for a great night out. Quiz starts at 8pm so make sure you arrive a bit earlier to bag a table and sort out your team!
BRABHAM TICKETS SELLING FAST
Tickets for our awesome evening with world-class motor-racing star David Brabham are selling fast.
David, son of Sir Jack Brabham, will be at the Falcon Hotel in Bude on Wednesday 15th May where he will give an insight into the top levels of the international motor racing scene. Tickets are £30 (discounted to £28 for FoBSP members) and include dinner, interviews with David, an auction of racing memorabilia and more. See www.budeseapool.net/an-evening-with-david-brabham/
THE SEA POOL NEEDS YOU!
FoBSP now fund and manage the Sea Pool independently. We must raise enough money each year to pay for its upkeep, repairs and lifeguards, and to carry out vital renovations. Your membership fee directly contributes to the Pool's upkeep, so please do renew your FoBSP membership when it falls due.
But in many ways, people are more precious than cold hard cash! FoBSP is run by a small committee of volunteers and more helpers would be very welcome to share the workload. If you'd be able to help out with occasional fund-raising, or could take on a regular task, please get in touch. All contributions count!
Contact volunteer@budeseapool.org
THANKS TO
…absolutely everyone who has helped to raise funds over this winter, and especially SimplyWood of Kilkhampton, whose Chef's Kitchen event raised over £1500; Marion and Dave for their heroic Dart 10k swim last year; Tony Wade for his benefit gig at The Plough; Richard Wolfenden-Brown for staging Pool of Dreams; the staff of the Co-op supermarket for a superb contribution of over £450 from their Christmas raffle; and the guys at the Bude Tandoori whose Indian Feast evening also contributed a whopping £1500 to the kitty. And let's not forget the efforts of our excellent volunteers who have been keeping the Pool clean and tidy during the winter season: you're all wonderful people!
There are many more unsung heroes who've helped out, chipped in, and gone the extra mile to keep the Sea Pool in the swim. Your efforts are massively appreciated – not just by the FoBSP team, but by the thousands of people who enjoy swimming in the safety of the Pool every year.
SIGN UP, RENEW, LEARN MORE… at www.budeseapool.net/join/
