The Estate - Bevendean History Project
Bevendean Children Win Swimming Pool For School
Pupils at the Bevendean Junior Mixed School have won a national competition for a Furley Swimming Pool.
The competition, for which there were more than 1,500 entries from primary schools all over the country, took the form of a general knowledge test about swimming and recreation. Entrants also had to write a short essay on why they would like to be able to swim well.
The pool, a fully equipped, Olympic No. 4 model, is 33ft. long and 17ft. wide, with a depth of 3ft. It has. a Capacity of 8,000 gallons of water.
It is unlikely, however, that the pool will be installed at the school before the end of June.
The headmaster, Mr Richard Webb, told the Herald this week: that various preparations have to be made. The ground where the pool is to, be put will have to be extended, for at the moment it is not sufficient in area. Also, the plans have to go before the Education Committee."
Headmaster Fears Damage
The headmaster's chief fear Is that when the pool is installed teenage vandals may descend upon the school and damage not only the new. swimming pool, but other school property. The school, he said, had a small swimming pool once before, but it was destroyed by vandals.
"I'm hoping that we can arrange to have the entire swimming area fenced in as a protection from hooliganism of this kind," he added.
From: The Brighton & Hove Herald on 9 May 1964The competition, for which there were more than 1,500 entries from primary schools all over the country, took the form of a general knowledge test about swimming and recreation. Entrants also had to write a short essay on why they would like to be able to swim well.
The pool, a fully equipped, Olympic No. 4 model, is 33ft. long and 17ft. wide, with a depth of 3ft. It has. a Capacity of 8,000 gallons of water.
It is unlikely, however, that the pool will be installed at the school before the end of June.
The headmaster, Mr Richard Webb, told the Herald this week: that various preparations have to be made. The ground where the pool is to, be put will have to be extended, for at the moment it is not sufficient in area. Also, the plans have to go before the Education Committee."
Headmaster Fears Damage
The headmaster's chief fear Is that when the pool is installed teenage vandals may descend upon the school and damage not only the new. swimming pool, but other school property. The school, he said, had a small swimming pool once before, but it was destroyed by vandals.
"I'm hoping that we can arrange to have the entire swimming area fenced in as a protection from hooliganism of this kind," he added.
Happy Day for Pupils of Bevendean School
The new swimming pool at Bevendean Junior School which six of the school's pupils—all under 11 years of age—won in a nationwide English Essay competition organised by "The Times," was officially opened on Wednesday by the Deputy Mayor of Brighton (Councillor Stanley Deason).
Thousands of entries were received for the competition, the subject of which was "Why I would like to be able to swim."
Addressing a large audience of children and parents, Councillor Deason stressed the importance of being able to swim in a seaside town such as Brighton. "All schools here should show a keen interest in swimming," he said.
Mr R. Darrell, chairman of Purley Pools, the makers of the £600 pool, said that he was much impressed by the extraordinary creative gifts shown by the winning children. "The essays showed a great deal of talent and imagination," he added.
Present at the opening were Brighton's Director of Education, Mr W. G. Stone, Alderman Miss Dorothy Stringer, and Councillor Mrs M. L. Wiggans, chairman of Brighton Education Committee.
The winning children were John Scott, Gordon Davies, Glen Curnow, Pauline Lucas, Helen Foulkner and Teresa Miller.
The headmaster, Mr R. D. Webb, told a Herald reporter: "We are all thrilled with the pool. I and other members of the staff had a dip ourselves when it first arrived."
Brighton Education Committee spent £300 on levelling the site for the pool and surrounding the swimming area by high wire fencing as a protection from vandals.
Youngsters dive into the swimming pool at Bevendean School after the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Stanley Deason, had declared it open on Wednesday the 9th September 1964.
From: The Brighton & Hove Herald on 12 September 1964
