Fakenham swimming veteran excited for new pool

Date published: 7th January 2026

Many living in and around Fakenham will know the name Eric Mason, and several generations will remember when he taught them to swim.

Eric was a founding committee member of Fakenham Swimming Club, which launched in 1978, and from then he helped run the club at Fakenham Grammar School pool, teaching swimming and first aid skills to members.

The pool closed in 2014 and left many swimmers, like Eric, with nowhere to swim. To this day Eric still swims most days, but takes a two hour bus to Kings Lynn to swim there, as a metal hip leaves him with specific requirements for a pool.

The Council invited Eric to see the site of the new swimming pool at Fakenham Leisure and Fitness Centre, and to tell us his stories as part of the town's swimming history.

For an legendary local swim instructor, many might have expected Eric to have been swimming from a very young age but his swimming story began at age 30.

Eric was on a boat ride when he fell overboard and got into difficulty in the water as he couldn't swim. He was rescued and while many would be put off the water for a long time, he decided that he was to learn to swim, and to teach others so that they may be equipped if they find themselves in a similar situation.

From there, he fell in love with the sport, and was eventually headhunted to get involved with the Fakenham Swimming Club. During his time with the club, he taught swimmers everything from learning to swim to training to compete in galas, and worked with the Royal Life Saving Society on water safety.

For children, he sees swimming as a really important exercise, not only for fitness, but also to keep them safe and 'out of trouble'.

Fakenham Leisure and Sports Hub will feature a 4 lane, 25m community swimming pool with a shallow depth of 0.9m, increasing to 1.5m at the deep end.

On the new pool construction, Eric said:

"Oh it's great, absolutely great. I never thought the day would arrive actually, people used to say about it but I said I'll believe it when I see the diggers on site."

Eric looks forward to using the new pool to keep fit and healthy, which he attributes to regular 1400m interval training swims.