Heartening

IT WAS heartening to read in the North Somerset Times that all the district councillors feel the open-air pool at Portishead should remain open. I have always enjoyed visiting the pool and have been swimming there since it first opened 45 years ago.I think that some of the figures quoted in the article could be misleading. If the number of visitors to the pool was 23,000 last summer, which appears to be what is being stated, then the total actual revenue is going to be far more than £3,900. Assuming the lowest discounted rate is £2 a swim, that would have generated £46,000 alone. I suspect what the £3,900 refers to is the actual admission takings through the till at the pool. Like many people who swim regularly, I buy swim cards sold at the other pools in the area for convenience and to get a discounted rate. These cards are not actually sold at the open-air pool although they are accepted here. Presumably a proportion of the revenue from the sale of swim cards should be included in the figure for the open-air pool.Bearing in mind that we have had the worst summer weather this year since records began, 23,000 visitors sounds quite good. I wonder what the visitor figures are for a normal summer? This year we did have some excellent weather in April and October, months when the pool has traditionally been closed. I think consideration should be given now to extending the opening months for the pool to include at least late April and early October. Coupled with a rise in the current bargain admission charges, we would then be well set up for the next 45 years of open- air swimming.Nick Cambourne - Hilldale Road, Backwell