As a regular swimmer at ‘Cov Baths’ (the local 50m pool to me in my home town of Coventry) I enjoy a good natter with other swimmers (who doesn’t?)

Our beloved pool – where I learned to swim so many years ago and used to spend many a Saturday splashing around in with my sister – is due to close later this year. I was gutted when I found out, despite the fact that there will be a new 50m pool opening at nearby leisure centre, that we can use. It got me talking to other fellow swimmers, about their memories of the pool. There are so many stories and fond memories out there and I love hearing them all, and getting to know those fellow swimmers more.

I am now trying to collect as many as I can – to turn into illustrations.

If you have a fond memory or story of Cov Baths that you would like to share- please email it to me.

My story is one of the foot baths. My sister, Lisa, and I would often get the number 27 bus from our home into town to go swimming – it was our favourite thing to do, and we got on really well. We would spend hours in the 50m pool, jumping in, doing handstands, tumble turns and trying to hold our breath for as long as we could. But what sticks in my mind the most, are the foot baths. We loved it! You know, that shallow bit of water that you had to walk through before you were poolside- presumably to clean your feet? Well Lisa and I loved to sit in it; probably because it was really warm! We used to like getting really warm in the foot baths and then jumping into the main pool, as it was significantly colder, and would make us squeal. I wonder if this was a prelude to my love of cold water swimming… That’s a completely different story