I WAS born in Grange-over-Sands in 1936. At a young age I taught myself to swim in the Grange swimming pool - now known as a lido!

I joined the swimming club, where we were taught life-saving and I took part in the regular swimming galas. People came from all around the area to compete - Lancaster, Barrow, Kendal etc and there were always large queues of spectators.

As a teenager I used to work at the pool in the summer school holidays. It was always full of laughter and happiness!

In 1993 the council decided to close this wonderful pool because they said that there was a leak - it must have been a small one as when it rained there were ducks swimming there!

Why on earth wasn't this leak repaired? It would have cost a fraction of all the meetings, consultations with experts, etc and the Berners Pool wouldn't have needed to be built and later knocked down!

The majority of Grange residents want it restored as a swimming pool, with possibly a cafe on the site as there was before it closed and left to deteriorate for so long, therefore increasing the cost of returning it to its former glory.

So, South Lakeland District Council, stop prevaricating and get it restored to a lido. We've waited long enough.

Valerie A. Jones

Grange-over-Sands