YOUNG Bob the Builders have been on site of the new indoor swimming pool being built in Dartmouth.

A group of 14 excited pupils from St John the Baptist Roman Catholic Primary School were welcomed by the construction team when they visited the pool project.

Dressed in regulation clothing to comply with health and safety, children from Years 1 and 6 were accompanied by their teacher Louise McClounnan. They were shown how the pool had been excavated and the new building was being constructed.

Site manager Chris Jewell said the children had shown a lot of the interest and enthusiasm as they were shown around.

‘They were asking very complex questions and were obviously thinking about how to tackle a big building project,’ he said. ‘Of course, the crane was of special interest.’

The school arranged the visit with the help of builder Kier Construction.

Mrs McClounnan said: ‘As soon as the children came onto the site the relevance of numeracy, design and problem solving became far more obvious to them.

‘A visit like this gives us so much more to work on back in the classroom. What makes the experience really meaningful is that when the pool is completed they are going to benefit from learning to swim in a facility so close to the school.’

One of the young visitors especially looking forward to the opening is Lee Westwood who was chosen to cut the first turf back in the autumn.

Lee has a medical condition which requires regular aqua-therapy and the new pool will save him and his family hours of travelling.

The pool trust is now raising funds for the running costs. Anyone who would like to make a donation can do so on the indoor pool fundraising website www.dartmouthpool.co.uk under ‘events’. There is also more information about forthcoming fundraising on the page.

Any organisation, club or society who would like to know more about the pool should call 01803 835001 to book a talk with one of the trustees.