Scottish Commonwealth Games hero makes a splash at Southerness! | 08 Jun 2011
Parkdean, recruited a Scottish Commonwealth Games medallist and Olympic hopeful to give a one-off special performance to mark the opening of our new £2m leisure pool at Southerness, near Dumfries.
Lauren Smith won bronze for Scotland with her stunning synchronised swimming displays in Delhi in October and has also just won a second bronze at the European Synchro Cup, the first medal for GB at the European Synchro Cup since 1994.
On Sunday 5 June she officially opened the new leisure pool at Southerness Holiday Park with Sid & Lizzie. In addition to the ribbon cutting duties, Lauren showed off her bronze medal to attendees on the day and did a special one-off performance of her medal-winning Commonwealth Games routine.
Parkdean’s Regional Director for Scotland, David Key, said: “The pool is a stunning new addition to what is a very popular area for Scottish holidaymakers and those who visit from south of the border. This is a beautiful part of the world and we feel sure the new pool with serve as an even greater incentive to bring more holidaymakers to Dumfries and Galloway.
“This was a fantastic way to celebrate our ongoing commitment to improving facilities at Southerness and all our parks across the group. Everyone was really excited about having a Commonwealth medallist with us.”
Lauren, now based at the GB’s synchronised swimming training camp in Southern England where she is part of the squad preparing for next year’s London Olympics, made the trip north to the spot a few miles south of where her Scottish father grew up.
The 28-year-old said: “Representing Scotland and winning the bronze at the Commonwealth Games was the highlight of my career, so it was really exciting to be back to help Parkdean celebrate the opening of their great new pool.
“It’s a huge honour for me, so I was thrilled to be asked to perform in the new pool as well as part of what was a really fun day for everyone. I think it’s great to support an organisation like Parkdean who are investing so heavily, both into the region’s tourism business and into ensuring more children and families can have a fun time in the water.”
David Key added: “Since obtaining the park in 2004, Parkdean has invested several million pounds in not only ensuring that the facilities and accommodation we have on site are the best we can offer, but also, the improvements we have made to services like drainage and infrastructure have extended far beyond the park into the local village.
“Local community is important to us and we are proud, as a leading holiday park operator, to be able to play our part in boosting the areas tourism industry. This state-of-the-art pool is a valued addition to Southerness Holiday Park, and we look forward to seeing it bustling with visitors from the park.”
