Sink or Swim?
The Miles Platting pools are a leisure facility for the whole community young and old. Our reporter spoke to a few of its older patrons a while ago, here are their comments.

I really believe that swimming is keeping me fit and well, I had to go to the doctors a few years ago, I was having a lot of pain in most of my joints, the doctor diagnosed Osteo-arthritis. A friend suggested we start going swimming, I really didn’t fancy it at all, I thought it would make my pain worse, however my friend badgered me until I gave in. I thought well I’ll give it a go if I get worse I’ll stop and rely on the pain killers for the rest of my life! I can honestly say my arthritic pain has lessened and I feel much better overall. My doctor said he can see the improvement in my health.
Elsie

I go swimming twice a week with my friends. When we first started I could barely swim from one side of the pool to the other, now I swim about eight or ten lengths regularly. I really enjoy swimming and my doctor says it is doing me the world of good. I know it is a healthy activity but I enjoy the social side of swimming as well, we meet other swimmers and get to know them and we have a really good laugh.
Mary.

I come to this pool every week, I meet old friends and new friends. I am not a person who goes to the doctors very much anyway but I am convinced that I would be going a lot more if I wasn’t keeping myself fit with swimming. I bet the National Health Service has been saved a lot of money by people like us trying to keep ourselves ticking over. I think it would be a great shame if this pool closed down I would really miss it.
Joan

Walking along the towpath of the Rochdale Canal brought back many memories of when I was a kid. Our adventures included rafting and skinny dipping in the ‘cut’. Adventures parents were often unaware of, until a mishap of someone falling in fully clothed or even worse a child drowning during the horseplay. The re-opening of the canal will be a good thing for the community commercially, with jobs, leisure activities and improvement to the environment. But please be aware kids will never change and if the people of Miles Platting lose their pool the catchy slogan of British Waterways Don’t be a fool, swim in the pool. Will probably be substituted for the kids own slogan The pool is shut we’ll swim in the cut!