A TOWN'S swimming pool is helped being kept afloat by a local food firm.

Burford based Orchard Valley Foods has committed long term financial support to Tenbury Community Pool, which will ensure the facility remains available for residents for years to come.

With the majority of Orchard Valley Foods’ staff living within a five mile radius of Tenbury, its directors see the pool as a worthy cause from which employees and the Tenbury community can benefit. Staff from Orchard Valley Foods swim, do aqua aerobics, have received their life saving badges, take their children swimming, and, in the past, have themselves learned to swim at the pool. Several people at OVF remember the community fund raising and the building of the pool 40 years ago.

The firm's managing director Mike Forrester said: "Tenbury Pool came out of a community initiative, and was built, then managed by the Guild, which has now evolved to Tenbury Community Pool Limited. We’re delighted, as a local firm, to be supporting the swimming pool, and would encourage other Tenbury businesses to follow suit, and for people to use the pool. We’re pleased that the first tranche of Orchard Valley Foods’ donation will go towards building maintenance and the setting up of a lottery, one of the many other fund raising activities underway.”

Jane Jenner from Tenbury Community Pool added: "This is a wonderful gesture of support from Orchard Valley Foods for the swimming pool and gym. Tenbury Community Pool is very grateful for this and is looking forward to a fantastic partnership with Orchard Valley Foods over the next five years. This gets TCP's fund raising off to a great start."