A couple have transformed their home into a public swimming pool after becoming fed up with the lack of local facilities.
Bhavika Kane, 43, and her husband Mark, 47, moved to Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, in November 2021, but struggled with the absence of amenities in the countryside.
To take their kids swimming, the parents had to tackle a 50-minute round trip to a busy baths.
Frustrated, the pair decided to spend thousands of pounds building their own swimming pool in the back garden.
Word of the pool soon got out and Bhavika was approached by a local swimming school after the 42ft by 13ft pool was completed.
She has now opened up the facility to the public.
Since opening in December, the mum-of-four says people have been travelling from miles around to swim in the pool, which costs visitors £6 per hour to use.
A former nurse, Bhavika says the move to rural life was a big eye-opener.
‘I was born and bred in Nottingham where everything is on your doorstep,’ she explained.
‘So when we moved to Lincolnshire, I had a bit of a shock with rural living and struggled because not everything was accessible.’
The family had always wanted a swimming pool, so once they had the space to build one they went ahead with the plan.
‘Having a swimming pool on your doorstep increases your motivation to do things,’ added Bhavika.
When the pool was built and she was approached by the swimming club, word of mouth spread and messages came pouring in from locals on Facebook.
Now, since opening up to the general public, business is booming.
Bhavika said: ‘We get a lot of walkers. We had one couple who walked a few miles from a local village, had a swim and then walked back.
‘We don’t exclude anybody. We have everyone here, from babies to 80-year-olds.’
Bhavika and Mark have spared no expense with the pool, which houses a special filtration unit that pumps in fresh air to reduce the smell of chlorine.
It has a 1.2m depth all the way through, is tested every month, and is heated to 31-32 degrees Celsius.
It’s an unconventional setup, but Bhavika isn’t fazed by having a public pool at her house. More than anything, she is enjoying helping her new local community get active.
‘It doesn’t bother me at all,’ she said. ‘The swim schools are there most evenings and we don’t interfere with anyone.
‘We’ve got our own sort of pool rules up and we get people to abide by them. We have our pool microbiologically tested every month. The pool water is crystal clear.’
The couple clean the changing rooms themselves and ‘make sure it is well looked after.’
Bhavika has started a company called Swim Blue, hosting swimming lessons as well as a wide variety of other activities, from pool parties to private hire.
She said: ‘It’s all very new. We’ve only just had swimming lessons and people private hire it and a few swimmers swim in the evening.
‘It has proven so popular we launched a website 10 days ago where people can book sessions on there.
‘It’s a comfortable size for us to manage. It’s not about the money for us, it’s about promoting the healthy side.’
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