A FEW miles down the road that week, a crowd was to gather in Poole for the Queen’s visit but 40 years ago in Kinson another, much quieter, ceremony took place that was to impact positively on the lives of thousands.

At 3.30pm on July 7 1969, the Mayor of Bournemouth, Councillor David Beckett, declared Kinson’s new swimming pool open.

Now the pool is expected to be closed following the £6.9million purchase by Bournemouth Council of the Roko fitness club in Bournemouth that will provide a replacement.

Back in 1969, few people witnessed the unlocking of the main door and the unveiling of the plaque – indeed the handful of people who turned up protested after being told they weren’t allowed in to see the ceremony – but it was an event that saw a facility opened that would benefit the community for more than four decades.

Getting the pool built hadn’t been plain sailing. The plans for a £40,000 pool at Kinson had been approved back in 1965 but concerns were voiced about the site and the controversial design of having two shallow ends and a depth of only 4ft 6ins in the middle, as recommended by the men from the Ministry.

Councillor RL Critchley said this was “extraordinary”, adding “to suggest young people don’t want to dive is ridiculous”.

And, by June 1968, the 66ft long and 25ft wide pool’s costs had shot up to £56,500.

Why two shallow ends of 2ft 9ins? The pool was “designed to meet the demands of the youthful district of Bournemouth,” it was reported, “and to provide teaching facilities for the children of the area”.

Admission was just 1/6 (under 8p) for adults and, once inside the brick building with its cedar cladding, the paying public found cutting edge facilities.

It had open changing areas for juniors, along with cubicles furnished with mirrors and hair dryers. And there was a bank of three vending machines.

Outside the building, staffed by a team of eight under the supervision of Michael Lipscombe, was a free car park.

Since its opening, an army of young and old have learnt to swim or enjoyed the exercise at Kinson pool.

Among the early success stories were two four-year-olds, Maria Elisabetta Lilliu of Talbot Road Bournemouth and Richard Dyball of Sandbanks – taught by swimming instructress Mrs Pat Gage – who, in January 1971 became the first pre-school children to earn a badge.

Less than three years later, Mrs Gage’s own daughter Helen swam a mile around the pool... also at the age of four.

But despite its successes, the Kinson pool story hasn’t all been untroubled.

The fuel crisis of 1973 saw the baths temporarily closed on government orders. In 1977 there was resistance to the charge for children going up from 8p to 10p. And, in 1980, numbers using the pool dropped to 13,625 from 15,633 the previous year.

But by 1987 they had climbed again to 16,000 a year after a new attraction, a giant inflatable spider arrived as part of a renovation.

From time to time, as the years passed, Kinson pool made the news. Back in the 1980s, for example, a nine-year-old birthday boy, Stuart Holloway of Northbourne, saved his non-swimmer friend who was in difficulties.

Then, in 1987, a 30-year-old mum, Mrs Brigitte Allen, spotted a seven-year-old child lifeless at the bottom of the pool and sprung to the rescue.

And in 1988 1,000 took advantage of a free swim after Cllr Barbara Siberry officially opened the new-look baths following a £28,000 renovation.

But, for the most part, as the years have passed, Kinson pool has carried on minding its own business, teaching people to swim and offering facilities to those seeking exercise.

Over the years it has been used the likes of Bournemouth Swimming Club, Bournemouth Dolphins and Wimborne Swimming Club, as well as groups such as West Howe Mums and Babies and Women and Children United.

And Splashathon events have raised money for Tommy’s Charity (for Great Ormond Street Hospital) and CLUKS (for children with leukaemia).

Today, around 1,000 people come every week to swim.

They are following in the wet footsteps of Alderman Michael Green, the first person to go for a swim at Kinson after that official opening that took place 40 years ago.

While the rest of the official party were having tea, Ald Green took the opportunity to “christen the pool by taking a lone dip”.

His verdict? “I thoroughly enjoyed myself,” he said. “The temperature was 80 degrees... and very pleasant.”

+ To celebrate its 40th birthday, on Sunday July 5 Kinson Swimming Pool is offering free swimming (11am-noon and 1pm- 2pm) or an inflatable crocodile session (noon-1pm and 2pm-3pm).