A Teignbridge swimming pool is feeling pawsitive about its final swim of the 2024 season.

Hounds of all sizes will be unleashed into the community-run open air pool in Ashburton on Sunday September 15 to doggy paddle with their human companions.

The dog swim at 6pm will be the last session at Ashburton swimming pool for 2024.

The idea for a dog swim came at a ‘love your pool’ feedback evening. ‘We asked members of the public to come along and talk about things we do well and things we could improve,’ explained pool manager Cat Howard. ‘Moretonhampstead and Shoalstone do one at the end of each season, so I did some research around safety etc. and then the trustees agreed,’ she added.

It follows a packed weekend of events including a night swim and barbecue on the Friday (September 13) and a family fun closing party earlier in the day on the Sunday (September 15). Meanwhile, the pool management team are encouraging people visiting Ashburton Food Festival on the Saturday to combine their visit with a refreshing dip in the pool.

As well as being a lot of fun, Ashburton Swimming Pool hopes the events will raise much needed funds so it can carry out maintenance work over the winter. The pool needs to raise £60,000 to fix a leak.

Earier this year, Ashburton was one of four Teignbridge swimming pools that successfully bid for money from the government’s Swimming Pool Support Fund to enable it to install speed pumps and to deal with power correction issues.