A HOST of Olympic swimmers will be making a real splash in Radcliffe next week to open the town’s new temporary swimming pool.

Five-time Olympic and World champion Mark Foster will be among the star sporting names at Radcliffe Leisure Centre’s formal opening ceremony on Friday June 19.

The centre, on the site of the old Radcliffe Riverside School in Spring Lane, opens to the public this Saturday, before the launch event the following weekend, which is a collaboration between Bury Council and swimming business Total Swimming.

Olympic bronze medallist Steve Parry, co-founder of Total Swimming, said: “The construction of a new temporary pool for Radcliffe is an important development for the local area and ensures that the community has continued access to first-class swimming facilities.

“I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved with Bury Council, who had the vision and funding for this project, and together we are helping to make a difference to people’s lives through swimming.”

The celebration will see around 100 pupils from St Mary’s, Gorsefield, Wesley Methodist and Chapelfield primary schools take the plunge into the new pool for a morning of aquatic activities led by the Olympians.

Three-time Commonwealth swimming champion James Goddard, Olympic medallist Jo Jackson, GB synchronised swimmers Vickie Lucas and Yvette Baker, and Olympic water polo team members Rosie Morris and Fiona McCann will also be taking part.

A community day will be held on Saturday June 20, with local residents able to take part in activities at the centre for £1.

The new pool, which cost almost £1 million, is the UK’s first 25-metre demountable above-ground swimming pool and can accommodate up to 80 people.

Bury Council chiefs say they are continuing to look at long-term plans to build a new permanent pool on the site of the former Radcliffe Pool and Fitness Centre, in Green Street, which was shut after storm damage in December 2013 revealed structural decay deemed too costly to repair.

Deputy leader, Cllr Rishi Shori, said: “After the irreparable damage caused to the old pool by winter storms, we promised that we would create new facilities for the people of Radcliffe.

“This is a great new pool at a really convenient location where we can also offer gym, sport and fitness facilities all on one site.

“Although our long-term plan is to build a brand new permanent leisure centre on the site of the old one, it’s really important we continue to provide accessible fitness facilities to our residents.

“I’m sure the people of Radcliffe will make the most of the pool and what Radcliffe Leisure Centre as a whole has to offer.”

Gym facilities at the new leisure centre opened last month.