Cleveland Pools in Bath to reopen for public swimming

Cleveland Pools closed to the public in 1984

(Image credit: Richard Hammond/Cleveland Pools)

published 31 August 2023

One of the UK’s oldest lidos is to reopen to the public next week. Built in 1815, the Grade II-listed Cleveland Pools in Bath was treasured by generations of locals and visitors, until it closed to the public in 1984 and was eventually turned into a trout farm. But thanks to the efforts of a group of local enthusiasts, who have spent the last 20 years campaigning to have the pool restored and reopened, swimmers can once again plunge into its waters from 10 September. Paul Simons, chair of the Cleveland Pools Trust, which was established to save the lido, described the project as “a marathon swim, often against the tide”.

Teenager passes 34 GCSEs

A Pakistani teenager living in Slough passed 17 GCSEs this summer, to add to the 17 she passed last year. Mahnoor Cheema scored mainly 9s plus a handful of 8s in subjects ranging from further maths and astronomy to Latin and French. The 16-year-old, who has an IQ of 161 and currently attends Langley Grammar School, moved to the UK from Lahore with her family in 2016, and would like to go to Oxford University. “I don’t love school particularly,” she admitted.

Villagers set up their own bus route

Residents of a village in rural Perthshire that lost its bus service earlier this year have now clubbed together and set up their own. The 55 route from Glenfarg to the town of Kinross, about seven miles away, was axed when its operators retired. But thanks to ten volunteers and three full-time drivers, the service is now back and running six days a week, starting with a 7.10am commuter service. “I don’t drive so it was a nightmare before,” said one grateful passenger. “We needed the service. It’s great, everybody loves it.”