Newly spruced up Trinkie – 'a little piece of heaven on our doorstep,' says local swimmer

A dedicated team of local volunteers have been hard at work recently getting one of Wick's iconic outdoor pools ready for the summer season.

The Trinkie Heritage Preservation Group made an appeal recently for people in the community to help with repair work following storms which had caused considerable damage to the wall of the popular outdoor pool earlier this year.

Committee secretary Catherine Patterson said: "The Trinkie is a well-loved institution for many and nearly as popular today as in days gone past. It is on the North Coast 500 route and highlighted on the tourist trail so putting Wick on the map in a positive way."

During the last couple of months the committee have been kept busy scraping the accumulation of seaweed from the natural pool on the Pulteney side of the town and power washing the walls which highlighted the scale of damage caused by the storms.

Catherine explained: "In an effort to be cost effective the committee approached local businesses and carried out much of the work themselves with the help of volunteers."

The group also received a grant of £998 from the North Highland Initiative Fund which enabled them to hire equipment and assisted with material costs.

A number of swimmers, including locals and visitors to the county, have already been enjoying a dip in the newly whitewashed pool, with Patty Coghill of KW1 Swimmers – Kool Water Sw1mmers, calling the Trinkie "a little piece of heaven on our doorstep" and describing her swim there as "truly magical".

Giving a big shout out to all the volunteers who got their hands dirty and diced with the tides, the secretary said: "We would sincerely like to thank Gunn’s of Lybster who generously donated the cement and gave up their time at the weekend, MM Miller who loaned transport and personal special thanks to Nathan Kelly, Alex Patterson who repainted the Trinkie sign and also a big thank you to John Stewart from JLS Formwork for his expertise and willingness to help at short notice."

The Trinkie requires constant maintenance so there is always a list of things to be done and the committee rely on fundraising and donations. Those wishing to contribute can do so through the Trinkie Heritage Preservation Group Facebook page which has a GoFundMe facility.

An illustrated talk about the history of the outdoor pool, along with photos through the decades will be held during the town's gala week in the Wick Community Campus on Thursday, July 28 at 7pm. Donations from this will go towards future maintenance.

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