Wick's Trinkie nets around £20,000 in funding to get back in the swim
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The Trinkie Heritage Preservation Group have been awarded nearly £20,000 from the Beatrice Partnership Fund for essential repairs at the popular outdoor pool.
Catherine Patterson, secretary of the group which was set up three years ago, said: "It has been a long road, but we are delighted the panel agreed to release the funding for us. It has been a really dedicated committee of locals.We are hoping to do the repairs, possibly this month or over the summer."
She explained that it had been quite a long process with a structural report, also financed by the fund, needing to be carried out first as the Trinkie at Wick's South Head had suffered extensive damage resulting in a large hole in the wall. In addition they had to negotiate with the Crown Estate, the owners of the outdoor pool, which entailed a great deal of paperwork.
"If it does not get repaired it will deteriorate further, she said. "That was why we were delighted that money was released." The new committee was formed in August 2018, taking over from the previous Friends of the Trinkie who maintained the naturally occurring rock pool for many years.
The Trinkie is particularly special to the secretary of the group who reminisced: "I learnt to swim there, it is a lovely place for families, a little magnet for recreation – for generations it was a picnic area. It is a busy place now, there are always people out walking that way."
She said that everybody had been very helpful with welding apprentices at the North Highland College making some new brackets for the wall and walkway which is to be reinstated at some point.
Catherine has prepared an illustrated talk about the history of the Trinkie which was due to take place at the end of March last year but was cancelled due to lockdown, however she is keen for it to go ahead this summer instead. The event will feature some old photos from the Johnston Collection showing the pool when it was in its heyday in the 1930s. All money raised will go towards maintenance work.
