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June 2023                                                                           June 2023

                                                                                            HENLEAZE SWIMMING LAKE


                                                                                            Whilst  Novak  Djokovic  was  demolishing
                                                                                            Rafael  Nadal  on  the  centre  court  at
                                                                                            Wimbledon I was being taken back to a
                                                                                            much  simpler  less  sophisticate  time.  My
                                                                                            afternoon was to be spent as a guest of
                                                                                            the  Henleaze  Swimming  Club  which  was
                                                                                            holding its special Long Swim event.
                                                                                            As I looked over the Henleaze Lake for the
                                                                                            first time I thought I had died on gone to
                                                                                            heaven! It was so tranquil, so beautiful, so

                                                                                                                            peaceful  and  I  could  have  stood  and
                                                                                                                            stared all day.
                                                                                                                            Andrew  Stewart,  chairman  of  the  club
                                                                                                                            greeted  me  in  the  car  park  adjoining  the
                                                                                                                            lake and I was presented with a scene from
                                                                                                                            an earlier era. Families lying on the grassed
                                                                                                                            surrounds,  youngsters  idly  chatting  the  day
                                                                                                                            away,  older  folk  perhaps  reminiscing  on  a
                                    G P Lewis                                                                               distant  past.  Humankind  spending  a  quiet,
                                                                                                                            peaceful  quintessentially  English  Sunday
          Interior/Exterior Painter & Decorator                                                                             afternoon. I loved it!

                                                                                            Andrew  and  I  sat  for  a  while  and
         All aspects of painting and                                                        talked  about  the  club  which  has
                                                                                            been  affiliate  to  the  ASA  since  a
         decorating undertaken including                                                    year  after  its  founding  on  5 .May
                                                                                                                      th
         Domestic, New builds, Refurbs                                                      1919. It was  a condition  of  a Major
         and Commercial.                                                                    Badcock,  the  then  owner  of  the
                                                                                            lake,  that  a  club  was  formed  to
         Qualified and with over 30 years                                                   regulate swimming in the lake after
         experience, will offer friendly                                                    a  recent  drowning  caused  him  to
                                                                                            ban the sport for a while.
         advice if needed.                                                                  The  lake,  originally  called

            1st class finish                   If you require a job done hassle free       Southmead  Lake  after  the
            Free written quotes                 by an honest, friendly tradesman           Southmead  Quarries  was  formed
                                                    please give Gavin a call on
            Fully insured                       01929 471704 or 07977                      out of extensive limestone quarrying  th
                                                                                            up to and around the turn of the 20 . Century. An old lime kiln stood on the site
            No job too small or big                   047314, Email:                       until  1938  before it  was  demolished  by  the swimming  club  with  the stone  being
            No VAT                                                                         used to build the lake banks
                                                   g.lewis515@btinternet.com.

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