Dear Subscriber,

With a significant drop in temperatures, it appears autumn is definitely upon us. Luckily the September sun shone for our recent Heritage Open Day run in conjunction with BathScape at Sydney Gardens and it was a great success all round!

Our people

This month, we’d like to introduce Dr Linda Watts who is a long-standing (and very highly regarded) member of our volunteer team.

When we asked why she decided to volunteer with us, this is what she said:

“I got involved with the Pools in 2011 soon after I retired from local government, when a friend suggested that I would enjoy contributing for a year or so to this unique project. He was right, and in time I became a trustee for 3 years, joining the original trustees.

There were two challenging priorities that I came to give most attention to - the essential need to secure major restoration funding; and my fascination with adding to the existing research on the 200- year social history of the Pools. I had little previous background in funding bids or historical research, so my volunteering has been a huge learning experience, including giving talks and working on a book - my experience has been shared through mentoring students and supporting new volunteers. All in all, volunteering for the Pools has certainly added a new dimension to my retirement!”

Successful Heritage Open Day!

It was wonderful to see our team of socially distanced volunteers running this event in the beautiful September sunshine, with more than 80 groups trialling the much anticipated walking trail. For those of you who did complete the trail, we’d be keen to have your feedback via the short survey link on our website https://www.clevelandpools.org.uk/events. For those of you who haven’t had the chance to try it yet, do give it a go! All the details you need can be found on the same page.

While the walking trail was going on, filming was also taking place at the pools. We can’t reveal much about it at present, but suffice it to say it’s an extremely exciting project that we’re thrilled to be a part of. Imagine our delight when we happened upon a group of Georgian folk enjoying the Sydney Gardens event who were happy to parade their finery for us! Very fitting given the history of the pools.

Building Works

While we are disappointed there will be no construction progress on site until the New Year, work carries on behind the scenes and we remain committed and enthusiastic for the months ahead.

Fundraising

Despite the recent Heritage Emergency Fund grant awarded to us by the Lottery, we are always fundraising, so if you’d like to make a donation (large or small!) we would be very grateful. Please follow this link: https://bit.ly/2MxFkhv

Stay safe, and do please stay in touch.