A VILLAGE headmaster's wife who first dreamed of the need for a swimming pool in Hornby has officially reopened the much-loved venue.

Jean James, 92, unveiled a plaque at the renamed Lune Valley Community Swimming Pool, watched by well-wishers and volunteers who raised more than £30,000 in pledges and donations to reopen it.

The Melling Road building closed in 2017 due to council cuts. Locals have spent months refurbishing the pool to make it "shipshape and Bristol fashion".

Four decades ago Mrs James persuaded her late husband, Doug, head of Hornby Secondary School, to start a campaign to build a pool to help save children's lives. She was concerned at the danger posed by two nearby rivers, and her dream led to generations of youngsters learning to swim.

The 15-metre pool is now run and managed by local people through the Lune Valley Community Society, and is open to all seven days a week.

Society chair Bob McGachie said: "I would like to thank all our supporters and the trustees for their valiant efforts in returning the pool to community ownership and in building a sustainable long-term asset for the benefit of everyone in the Lune Valley."