Cleveland Pools Wins The Lottery

30th December, 2018

The run-up to Christmas brought news of a late victory for the revival of outdoor swimming in the UK. Cleveland Pools, the oldest open-air pool in the country, will be restored after securing a £4.7 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The pools, on the banks of the River Avon in Bath, were built between 1815-1817 and closed in 1984. They will now become the UK’s first naturally-treated (i.e. with no chemicals) open-air pools, with 30% of energy required to heat the water being generated by heat pumps in the adjacent river.

The restoration is a result of many years of campaigning and planning by the Cleveland Pools Trust. Its Chair, Paul Simons, said: “After 14 years’ hard work the Trust’s efforts have finally succeeded in guaranteeing the future of this unique place and community asset.

“The Trust is most grateful to the Heritage Lottery Fund for its support and belief in the scheme. Our thanks also go to the many hundreds of volunteers who have worked tirelessly to get us to this point, and the thousands of others who have expressed their support for the scheme over the years.”

For more information and keep track of progress at Cleveland Pools visit the website and follow the Trust’s Twitter account