THERE have been celebrations in West Devon this week, with the news that the area could have its very own £3-million legacy from this summer's London Olympic Games.

Tavistock's Kelly College has just been informed by the Department of Culture Media and Sport that it is the preferred bidder for one of the three ten-lane, 50-metre training pools which will become surplus to requirements once the games are over.

Headmaster Dr Graham Hawley, who has described the acquisition of one of these pools as 'a once in a generation opportunity', said: 'We are absolutely delighted that the merit of our bid has been recognised and we are confident we can meet the conditions.

'Now we have received the letter, it's full steam ahead. As we always knew, the hard work begins now, but we are thrilled to be in a position to move the project forward.

'I never thought we would receive something that said it's yours — it's being delivered on such and such a day, but we think most of the conditions will be relatively straightforward and I am feeling very upbeat about it — we are all thrilled.'

Paul Birchell, business manager at Kelly College, said: 'This is a huge stamp of credibility on the project so far and will only help us in the next stages.'

Mr Birchell said he had been 'pretty confident' that the Kelly bid had been well received, having worked so closely with the ASA, one of the partners in the Olympic legacy committee.

'We had a fairly good idea we were on the right lines, but it was a huge relief when the letter arrived.

'It's very exciting — it's a fantastic project to be involved in.'

Mr Birchell said there were three basic areas that Kelly now had to concentrate on. The project management needed further clarification, planning permission needed to be obtained and confirmation was needed that the capital required was in place.

He said he was confident that all the conditions could be fulfilled by Kelly.

'We have a lot of support regarding planning — it fits in with West Devon's strategic plan for the area and the planning office have been involved in our original bid,' he said.

'They are also looking for confirmation we have the capital in place. We have some very significant contacts who have expressed interest in the project, some individuals and some organisations who have various reasons to support it.

'It's a big ask, but we have pulled together a team of people with various contacts and levels of experience and I think we can do it.'

Mr Birchell said once the Paralympics were completed next autumn, the training pools will be dismantled, taken back to the manufacturers and refurbished.

'We can expect delivery probably in April or May next year — my expectation is we will be looking to open at the start of 2014.'

Robin Brew, Kelly's director of swimming and a former Olympian himself, said: 'Winning the Olympic legacy bid highlights the contribution that Kelly College has made to international swimming over the last 34 years, producing swimmers such as Olympic gold medallist Sharron Davies, and more recently Olympic silver medallist, Heather Fell. 

'Last week's decision confirms that Kelly College is recognised as a school which has a great deal to offer the swimming community, both locally, nationally and internationally. 

'In performance terms the new 50m pool will revolutionise our programme and allow us to train and compete on a level with the very best swimmers in Europe. 

'The impact of a facility of this nature will be of significant value to generations of young swimmers both from Kelly and Tavistock and will truly reflect the ideals of the Olympic legacy.  We are all very proud to have been part of this process and would like to thank those involved in supporting this project, specifically the local authority and also many members of the local community.'