Open air swimming pool hopes for new lease of life
Stanhope Open Air Swimming PoolA once popular open-air swimming pool that has been closed since a "major electrical failure" three years ago is on the brink of securing its reopening.
County Durham's only heated lido, Stanhope Open Air Swimming Pool, which only operates during the summer, did not open for the season in May 2023.
The charity running it said the pool needed relining, the plant and boiler rooms needed rewiring and refurbishing, and signing a 30-year lease deal with the landlord meant more avenues of funding were open than if they had a shorter lease.
Trustee Caroline Ford said the charity needed to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds but hoped to open in 2027 and eventually extend into the winter season too.
Ford said: "We haven't got an exact figure yet because we're now just starting to get quotes for the works."
Stanhope Open Air Swimming Pool charity volunteers would look for funding from nearby businesses, grants and individual fundraisers, she said.
The 25m-long (82ft) pool first opened in 1974, and saw more than 8,000 visitors in 2022.
The pool, which lies among the North Pennine hills, had been facing an uncertain future when it closed suddenly because of an electrical failure in the plant room.
Ford said the trustees were "delighted to get this far" but the site was in need of a "complete renovation".
She said the pool had been an asset to the village, boosting businesses and the health of its users.
"I've seen how enjoyable it is for the community, and I've seen what it does for the community," Ford said
"I think it will be a huge loss if it can't reopen again."
The charity has appointed new trustees and set up a project management group to arrange the renovations.
"We can't start asking people to come and do the work until we've got substantial funds in the pot to pay them with," Ford said.
