Funding boost for ‘lido revolution’
In a year that will see three major lido projects come to fruition, the ‘lido revolution’ has taken on fresh momentum as The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded £99,800 to the Future Lidos Group for a major project, ‘Pooling Resources’.
In 2023, Britain’s oldest surviving outdoor pool, Bath’s Cleveland Pools, will reopen fully following a major refurbishment. This year will also see the opening of Sea Lanes, a new 50m pool on Brighton’s seafront, and the return of outdoor swimming to Hull’s Albert Avenue Baths.
All three are members of the Future Lidos Group (FLG) - an informal network of community-led projects and campaigns around the UK and Ireland, dedicated to reviving outdoor pool swimming in their communities. The People’s Pool helped bring the group together, and will have an active role in driving the project.
Now, thanks to the Heritage Fund and to National Lottery players, the FLG is embarking on its first major collaboration. Pooling Resources will create a digital Lido Toolkit, raise awareness of the unique role lidos play in community wellbeing, and strengthen the wider network of outdoor pools. The ultimate goal is to benefit communities across the UK and Ireland who will reap the social and economic rewards of having a pool of their own.
Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said:-
“The UK is home to an amazing collection of lidos. Many had fallen into disrepair, but a renewed love of these special places and the blissful joy of swimming outdoors has created a lido renaissance right across the country. At the Heritage Fund we are delighted we have supported that renaissance by providing more than £13 million towards restoring and celebrating lidos such Saltdean Lido in Brighton and Cleveland Pools in Bath. Lidos are true public and community spaces, providing health, wellbeing and happiness to those who use them. Our support to the Future Lidos Group for their ‘Pooling Resources’ project will help others build capacity and understanding of lidos so that these can be enjoyed by communities for years to come.”
Click here to read an exclusive feature on the project in The Guardian.
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