I DON'T live in the Atherton area now, but I do know what tremendous value the townspeople place on the threatened Mayfield Street Swimming Baths where so many of us learned to swim years ago.

I remember, whilst a St George's Junior pupil, our regular trips to the aforementioned baths, remember the cosy hot men's showers, the little cabins that one changed in, the balcony and the shallow and deeper ends of the pool.

In the deep end we dived for "bricks" during our lifesaving lessons.

Those were the days when we called for a barm cake to eat on the way home! World War II had just about ended, and among the great shops that Atherton had were Allsops, Blackshaws, Wrends, the Bacca Shop, the Dairy, Bag Lane Co-op, Bag Lane Beef Shop, and Peter Parr's at the Atherton-St Helens trolley bus terminus. Opposite the Punch Bowl pub was a delightfully maintained, much used bowling green (beside the newsagent's shop and the Letters Inn). The Savoy and the Palace served Atherton's picturehouse needs efficiently. The mills and the coal pits were producing properly. Those were the days.

One wonders whether the need to decorate and likely update the Wigan International Pool has anything to do with the rumours of Atherton Baths' possible closure.

Atherton cannot afford to lose its splendid Mayfield Street pool.

I would certainly vote to keep the baths open.

Kenneth Lucas

Park Road

Hindley