An outdoor swimming pool in County Durham could open next year following a renewed appeal for support.
Stanhope Open Air Swimming Pool has been closed since 2023 following an electrical failure.
A fundraiser was launched to bring the pool back into use earlier this year.
(Image: STANHOPE SWIMMING POOL)
The charity behind the pool has issued a fresh plea for help from businesses and volunteers.
Caroline Ford, chair of the pool’s board of trustees, said: "We are getting a really good response from the community, which is fabulous.
"We've had quite a lot of tradespeople offering their expertise free of charge, which has been great.
"But we need to get the big works done, like the electrics, and then we can start looking at the smaller bits.
To help with the fundraising effort, a group of swimmers from the Wear Valley are taking on a sponsored challenge.
They plan to swim the equivalent distance from Wolsingham to the pool—a total of 10 miles, or 804 lengths—in just two hours.
Steve Lumb, from the pool’s fundraising group, said: "The pool was built in 1974 with support from the local rural parish council, local businesses and tradespeople and also with a lot of support and fundraising from locals and also the multitude of caravan sites in the valley.
"It has been run as a charity ever since and over the years has hosted a variety of events.
"Unfortunately, it has been closed for over two years due to funding issues for repairs.
"Our first target is to raise £50,000, which should allow us to open the pool by 2027.
"Our longer term aims are to refurbish the changing rooms, open a café, have a sauna/hot tub.
"We have had a wealth of support in terms of tradespeople offering their services and funding."
(Image: STANHOPE SWIMMING POOL)
Laura Alliston, a member of the swim team, said: "We all desperately want the open air heated pool to re-open.
Read more
Morrisons shoppers will see new yellow stickers in stores (but they're not discounts)
World Cup-inspired running challenge raises hundreds for Middlesbrough hospice
Darlington woman diagnosed with breast cancer after losing mum and aunties to disease
"When we heard that a fund had been set up to achieve this, we wanted to do something apt to help raise awareness for the fund and to raise some money towards it."
The sponsored swim will take place on August 23 from 1pm to 3pm.
The pool is also hosting a volunteer open day on the same day, giving people the chance to visit the site, see what needs doing, and offer their support.