When the wrecking ball swings through the Beach Leisure Centre it will tear down more than a building – it will also demolish treasured memories of generations of folk in Aberdeen.
This was where so many families went to play, splash around, thrill to the flumes and whizz round the rapids.
When my loon was wee, we used to love heading for the leisure centre, puddling around the paddling bit, graduating to the edge of the ceramic “beach” until he was older and the water wings came off and he swam further and better – especially when the madness of the wave machine kicked in.
And the flumes, oh the flumes. I remember the first time I took him as a toddler down the gentle swooshing one together – he nearly had a hissy fit about plunging into a dark tunnel of water. That was replaced at the bottom by an “again, again.”
Over the years our weekend trips graduated to daring each other to do the freefall plunge at the highest water slide, the infamous “Wipeout”. By which time his nerve was holding better than mine.
And after the swimming, still vaguely damp from the pool, we would sit in the café with crisps and juice. Excellent father and son bonding that still makes me smile – like I’m doing as I type this.
No doubt you will have your own similar memories – hopefully, though, not the one we have of grinding to a halt halfway down one flume and struggling to get going, all the time knowing someone else might be plunging towards us.
It has been a while since the leisure centre closed its doors, but the physical removal of the building itself will still be a wrench.
And adding to that sharp sting is the uncertainty of when the Beach Leisure Centre V.2 might arrive – if ever.
There is now doubt over whether its replacement will be built as the cooncil is muttering about putting the second phase of the beach revamp on hold.
That just can’t be allowed to happen.
We can’t have a Granite City left without a place for families to indulge their water babies, instil a love of swimming and help them create memories to last a lifetime.
I mean, what are we supposed to do? Head to other cities that have what we don’t? What a travesty that would be.
Yes, times are tough and money is tight, but sometimes you need to invest in the future.
And what better investment than a means of bringing families together, giving them somewhere to go and play and learn together and encourage the habits of an active lifestyle?
If the whole of the second phase of the beach master plan is too costly, surely some funds can be found to bring back the magic of the leisure centre as a stand-alone feature for the good people of Aberdeen – flumes and all?
To deny the Granite City this really would be a “wipeout”.
Scott Begbie is a journalist and editor, as well as PR and comms manager for Aberdeen Inspired
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