Fundraising effort begins for island's sea pool

Plans for an Olympic-sized sea pool on the Isle of Wight have taken a step forward with the launch of a fundraising appeal.

Social enterprise Swim the Wight is proposing to create an accessible pool in the sea defences at Yaverland

The group said the facility would be a "great resource" for the island, helping people become more comfortable and safe in the sea.

It needs £50,000 by early 2025 to produce professional reports on environmental impacts, design and engineering options.

The new tidal sea pool would be the first of its kind to be built in the UK in a century, according to Swim the Wight, and would form part of the coastal defences.

The Environment Agency is currently considering options for the area as it looks to replace ageing sea defences.

The group said such pools are a "huge draw" for coastal locations around the world.

"Our proposal to build a tidal pool within and part of the sea defences offers a unique opportunity to show how coastal infrastructure can have multiple functions – sea defence, recreation, health, education, wildlife, tourism and potentially, regeneration," it said.

It launched a new website to accompany the fundraising appeal and has also released indicative images of what the design could look like.

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