HISTORY
By Pat Prentice
Banchory (Beavers) was formed in 1985 by a group of mums trying to utilise Banchory school pool for the purpose of improving their children’s swimming techniques.
With no facility available at Banchory for the more able swimmers some families looked to join Upper Deeside which we also did with our children. It wasn’t long before my husband and I started assisting on the poolside as parent helpers on Friday evenings.
Negotiations were carried out with Aberdeenshire Council to gain more swim time at Banchory pool and in the summer of 1985 Banchory Beavers was formed, commencing with two classes on Saturday a
fternoons each with three instructors teaching approximately 40 swimmers during that time.
With some of the better swimmers from
Banchory still travelling through to swim at Upper Deeside, it was felt that Banchory could support its own competitive section. In
1986/87 the competitive section was formed with two training sessions per week. At the first major event attended by the team, the ND Age Group in Championships in 1987, Banchory entered two swimmers and won Bronze and Silver medals in the 10 Years 50m Breaststroke, much to the consternation of most at the pool who had never heard of Banchory Beavers!
We went from strength to strength, each year gaining more pool time, instructors and children, helped by an amazing support of committee and parents. Our swimmers brought home many medals and cups, and before long we were a club to be reckoned with. By 1990 we had a teaching section running on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturdays, with a competitive section on four mornings, plus Monday evening, Saturday mornings and a Portlethen session on Sunday evenings.
Some of the many memories were taking our swimmers on two trips to Stavanger, hosted by the Stavanger swim club and reciprocated in Banchory. As well as competitions in Millfield (with a trip to Alton Towers on the way home!). We also took our top swimmers to train in 50m pools from Stonehaven to La Santa in Lanzarote, well before the establishment of SAS (South Aberdeenshire Swimming) and 50m pool in Aberdeen.
Starting the Move to the New Pool…
Although the 20m pool at Banchory produced several champions, partly due to increased turns practice, many people felt there should be a pool with better all-round facilities in the town. After much discussion a New Pool committee, separate from the swimming club, was formed in 1996. Proving a great driving force the committee helped raise a total of £100,000 but with the on-going battle to gain land from Leys Estate, the first committee dis-banded. The funds, however, were held in an account for future use.
And finally on the 20th August 2019, the new Banchory Sports Village opened its doors for the first time, with Banchory ASC beginning its first training session in the new 25m, and life away from the 20m pool at Banchory Academy, its home for the last 34 years.
