CROWDS of people are expected to make a splashing start to 2011 at the annual Topsham Pool New Year’s Day swim.

Colin Long, chairman of the Topsham Swimming Pool Association, is confident of a large turnout.

The pool will be open from 8am until 9.30am for the Nutters Club and to the general public from 10am until 12pm followed by soup.

Mr Long said in the event of cold weather, visitors should be kept warm thanks to a new boiler which has been fitted.

“We have invested nearly �30,000 in the new boilers because the old ones were getting quite inefficient. We’ve had a trial run and already they are working really well.”

He joked: “The water will be lovely and warm, it’s just when people are getting out of the pool that’s the problem but then they can be warmed up again with a drink of hot soup.”

The annual Topsham Pool New Year’s Day swim has taken place since the start of the millennium.

It is 30 years since the pool opened - a non-council facility which, instead, is run by a team of volunteers.

Mr Long said the pool was always on the lookout for more volunteers to offer their time to help. “We could do with more people to help out for the next summer season,” he added.

“There is a lot of work that goes on to prepare the pool for each day it is opened like cleaning the place.”