Edinburgh lifeguard hopes to make a splash with new cafe at Glenogle Swim Centre in Stockbridge

New idea floated by Edinburgh lifeguard

An Edinburgh lifeguard is ready to float a new idea to regulars at Glenogle Swim Centre, which he hopes will also bring more customers to the Victorian baths.  

Sam Machin, an employee of Edinburgh Leisure, decided to dip his toe into the catering industry by opening his own cafe on the poolside balcony at the Stockbridge venue.

Sam, 30, said: “I’ve worked as a full-time lifeguard at Glenogle for the past 18 months. During that time, a few of us working here joked around about the idea of a cafe opening at the pool.

"I decided it would be a great idea to bring in more customers and make people enjoy their visits here even more. Fast forward to now and I am on the verge of opening a cafe at our beautiful Victorian swim centre in the heart of Stockbridge.

"Uniquely the cafe is situated on the balcony overlooking the pool, so people can relax after their swim, sauna, steam room, gym experience, or just pop in for a coffee.”

Sam Machin hopes his new cafe at Glenogle Swim Centre will bring more people to the Victorian swimming pool in Stockbridge.

Originally from Portsmouth, Sam has lived in Edinburgh since coming here to study at university as a teenager. While the baths have a long and varied history, he believes this is the first time there’s been a cafe on the balcony and wonders if older residents in the area remember a previous cafe at the pool.

Having hung up his whistle two weeks ago to focus on final preparations, he is ready to open Cafe at Glenogle on Monday, April 22, serving freshly ground coffees, teas, smoothies and shakes, cakes, bakes and snacks.

He said: “To be honest, it all started thinking about the centre itself. It’s a special building, a Victorian pool, there’s not many of them still going. So I hope adding this cafe helps.

“I hope we can bring in more people to spend more time here. Hopefully it will just add another dimension to the place.

“There has always been people talking about us having a cafe, and there is a lot of excitement, mostly from regulars, and word is spreading. There is a big social dimension to it as well which is great.”

The new cafe area at Glenogle Swim Centre will open to the public on Monday, April 22.

Sam will be welcoming customers seven days a week –  7.30am - 1.30pm Monday to Friday and 9am - 1pm on Saturdays and Sundays –  and he hopes he might still have time for some lifeguard duties in the evenings after the cafe closes.

“I really enjoyed my job as a lifeguard at Glenogle, so I still hope to help out with the odd shift in the evening after the cafe is done for the day,” added Sam.