Fundraisers swim 1,000 lengths to reopen pool

52 minutes ago

Tom MacDougallNorth East and Cumbria

News image — Volunteers swam 1,000 lengths of Wolsingham Pool to raise money to reopen the open-air Stanhope Pool

Laura Alliston The group of volunteers, all ranging in age and gender. The youngest is six and the oldest is 69. They wear swimming trunks or costumes and stand determined at the edge of the pool. — Volunteers swam 1,000 lengths of Wolsingham Pool to raise money to reopen the open-air Stanhope Pool

Fundraisers have swum more than 1,000 lengths to help secure some of the money to reopen an open-air swimming pool which shut three years ago.

County Durham's only heated lido, at Stanhope in Weardale, closed in 2023 after a major electrical failure in its plant room.

The group of swimmers from across the Wear Valley initially aimed to complete 804 lengths of Wolsingham Pool, equivalent to the 10 mile (16km) round trip between Wolsingham and Stanhope, as part of their wider fundraising efforts.

But participant Laura Alliston said with the "amazing encouragement" of supporters they decided to go "above and beyond", raising £2,700 in the process.

Laura Alliston The fundraising swim when it was ongoing. In relay style, one swimmer waits in the water whilst the other swims their lengths. The water is crystal-clear, chlorinated blue, which ripples as the swimmers power through. Some wear goggles. — The group have raised £2,700 with the swim, and £30,000 in total towards their goal

The group are hoping to raise a total of £50,000 to renovate and reopen the outdoor pool by 2027, with much of the restoration so far being carried out by volunteers and local tradespeople.

Alliston said they had got about £30,000 so far.

She said: "It was a really sad day when the pool closed, so many local people have got really fond memories there, and it's been an important part of life in Weardale for generations."

She said reopening it would be "good for the area and support local tourism" as well as be "great for people's mental health and children".

Laura Alliston Two men, a dog, and for some reason a crash test dummy, are all donning orange high-visibility jackets. The men are wearing hard hats. The dog doesn't get one. Behind them, surrounded by construction fencing, is the open-air pool - completely dry and empty. — Volunteers have been helping restore the Stanhope open-air pool and are hoping to raise £50,000 towards its reopening

Speaking before taking the plunge, she said the team - ranging from ages six to 69 - were "quite excited to start, and some a bit nervous".

"I wouldn't consider myself a strong swimmer or necessarily say I swim this amount every week, but I'm going to give it a go and I'm looking forward to it," she said.

"It's going to be a real team effort, we're all going to muck in," she said.

After the challenge, she said she was "really, really proud" of their efforts, even if it had left her a "little bit tired".

"The whole team did an absolutely tremendous effort," she said.

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