With just a few weeks to go before Cleveland Pools in Bath opens its doors to visitors for one day only, GoodGym Bath made a welcome trip to make sure the site was shipshape and Bristol fashion.

Bath is a world heritage site due to its cultural and historic significance and once a year venues that match those values allow people inside to have a sneak peek. While the Georgian lido is not open to swimmers at the moment due to flood damage it is a secret gem with plenty of interest to see as well as a chance to find out more about its future.

Did you know, for example, that the wonderful curved changing rooms and cottage dating back to 1817 is lovingly referred to as Bath’s fourth Crescent?

Anyway, back to GoodGym. We were tasked with tidying the slopes of the site. We welcomed Richard from GoodGym Bristol who showed real strength in removing some stray roots and we all pitched in to help Paul plant a new tree to improve the biodiversity of the area. The field maple was a perfect add to the collection as it supports insects and is a great habitat for birds and small mammals.

Lovely as the tree was, even more impressive was Paul’s ability to get around the steep grassy banks of the site. He has acquired the skills of a mountain goat and I am quite jealous.

After a break - with some of Trustee Sally’s delicious blueberry cake - we set our sights on making the pools look good for their oncoming moment in the spotlight. This involved removing the leaves from the surface using a big net. It seemed that however many we removed there still seemed more left behind but I’m told we made a big difference.

The Heritage Open Day will take place at Cleveland Pools on Sunday 13 September from 10 am to 4 pm. Why not drop in?