Residents are invited to celebrate the history of a much loved love outdoor pool.

The Strand Leisure Park in Gillingham is reopening with a day of traditional entertainment tomorrow

The family outdoor swimming pool launches for the summer season this bank holiday weekend and this year it will open on certain mid-week days during hot weather.

As from Thursday July 25 it will be open seven days a week to ties in with the school break and up until Sunday September 2.

It will operate on weekends only until Sunday July 21.

The Strand in Pier Approach is at the heart of a community heritage project which has uncovered the interesting past of the much-loved leisure park.

It was originally developed as a riverside pleasure ground between 1921 and 1926, with additional facilities for ‘holidays at home’ during the Second World War.

In 2017 Medway Council, in partnership with MidKent College, secured a £49,500 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for the Talking Telescopes project.

The funding was used to launch the project, which is part of a Young Roots project, in partnership with college students which aims to preserve, interpret and enhance the heritage and look of The Strand using interpretation boards and three talking telescopes.

The telescopes ‘talk’ to visitors as they look through the lens, playing pre-recorded soundbites from people who experienced The Strand in its heyday.

The establishment of a Friends of the Strand group is also being supported as part of the project.

Cllr Howard Doe, who is in charge of community services,said: “Medway is steeped in history and I’m pleased that local residents are now able to learn more about the heyday of the Strand in a fun and engaging way.

"I would encourage residents to go along and discover more about the history on their doorstep.”

Ross Buttery, deputy head of department for media and IT at MidKent College, said: “We’re incredibly proud of Medway’s rich heritage, and delighted that our media students can support this project to shine a light on The Strand’s importance as a community facility through the ages.

"It’s a wonderful opportunity to connect people to Medway’s history.”

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