In the swim
LEARNING to swim in the “baby pool”. Glorious galas and wet hair on a winter’s night. Chicken soup from the machine, chips from Danny’s on the way home...
Memories, full of warmth and happiness, have poured in following a call from Govanhill Baths Community Trust.
The Trust is building up its archive ahead of the Baths’ re-opening next year and is keen to hear from anyone with stories to tell and photographs and memorabilia, such as trophies and medals, to share.
Archivist Paula Larkin explains: “We want to include as much of the history of the Baths as possible, especially from people who swam here in competition or for leisure.
“We can record interviews, people can deposit medals or trophies, or photographs of treasured possessions. “Since we first asked, we have had so many great stories coming back to us.” She adds: “One concerned a little boy who got a swimming medal, but his father missed it because he was helping to fight a huge fire in Maryhill. His dad was taken to hospital but as soon as he recovered, he went back to fight the fire. “Another elderly lady recalled seeing Nancy Riach at the Baths when she came for a showcase event.”
Nancy Riach was the Motherwell-born swimmer who excelled at all strokes, once described as “the finest swimmer of the British Empire.”
In 1945, she held 28 Scottish and British records. Sadly, she contracted polio and died aged just 20, after one of her races at the European Swimming Championships.