PRIMARY school pupils are in the swim again after their pool was treated to a major face-lift.

For 30 years children at Westhoughton Primary School have enjoyed learning to swim in their own 12 metre long indoor pool.

They are the only primary school in the borough to have their own swimming facilities but after three decades of use the timber framed pool was wearing out. The plastic lined pool was shut 12 months ago but school governors were determined it should be brought back into use again and so started a £20,000 fund raising campaign. vernors and head teacher Sue Marshall were delighted when local swimming pool firm UPS also decided to sponsor the project and spent six months carrying out the work.

Excited pupils came back to class this September to find the fully tiled pool is now eight inches deeper, walls around the pool have also been tiled and the changing rooms refurbished. "We are thrilled to bits" said head teacher Mrs Sue Marshall. "We have really missed it this last year because swimming is such a part of our school."

All the school's 200 pupils have a swimming lesson each week with a qualified instructor and by the time they leave most pupils can swim at least 25 metres. To celebrate their new look facility the school invited local Olympic and Commonwealth swimmer Anthony Howard, pictured above, to officially open it and talk to pupils about the sport.