THE dream of an Olympic swimming-pool and sporting complex in Basildon, nurtured and cherished for three decades, is finally set to come true.

Can this be for real? We have waited so long and witnessed so many stumbling blocks.

And £35million is a great deal of money to find for a public building.

Yet the sums add up. The clincher is the promise of £5million funding from Thames Gateway, now on the table in black and white.

What's more, the incentive to get things right for the 2012 Olympics will provide powerful pressure to deliver.

We need just one more boon. Hotter weather by 2010 will mean people actually want to take a swim when the new pool opens.