We transformed our home into a public swimming pool – people come from miles around and we charge them
A COUPLE transformed their home into a public swimming pool – and they charge the people who come from miles around to use it.
Bhavika Kane, 43, and her husband Mark, 47, struggled with the inaccessibility of rural living after they bought a house in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, in November 2021.
The pair faced a 50-minute round-trip to take their kids swimming at a busy baths so decided to spend thousands of pounds building their own in their back garden.
Bhavika was approached by a local swimming school after the 13m (42ft) by 4m (13ft) pool was completed and she has now opened it up to members of the public.
Since opening in December, the mum-of-four says people have been flocking from miles around to swim in their pool, which costs £6 an hour to use.
Bhavika and her builder husband decided to construct their own pool after being left frustrated with the lack of nearby services when they moved from Kelham, Nottinghamshire.
Hundreds of swimming pools across the country are also facing closure due to rising energy costs, it was warned last year.
Former nurse Bhavika said: “I was born and bred in Nottingham where everything is on your doorstep.
“So when we moved to Lincolnshire, I had a bit of a shock with rural living and struggled because not everything was accessible.
“We’d always wanted a swimming pool and when we moved we had the space here to build one, so we did.
“Having a swimming pool on your doorstep increases your motivation to do things.
“At first I was approached by a swimming club for swimming lessons and then word of mouth spread and people started messaging me on Facebook.
“They were facing the same problem regarding pool hire and availability and since then more and more people are coming.
“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 1.2 metre depth all the way through, is tested every month and is heated to 31-32 degrees Celsius.
Bhavika says she isn’t fazed by having a public pool at her house and is enjoying helping her new local community get active.
She added: “It doesn’t bother me at all. 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.
“Every time someone swims we go in and clean the changing rooms. It’s our pool too so we make sure it is well looked after.
“We use a heat recovery system so that it doesn’t smell like chlorine at all. You don’t get the burning in your eyes, it’s just fresh air. It’s comfortable to sit in.”
Her company Swim Blue now hosts swimming lessons as well as a wide variety of other activities from pool parties to private hire.
Bhavika 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.”