The Lido Guide to be published

28th June, 2018

Historic Pools of Britain has joined hundreds of people who have pledged support for the Lido Guide; a definitive guide to Britain’s fantastic array of outdoor pools, which means the book is now funded and expected to be published in Spring 2018

Created and written by Janet Wilkinson and Emma Pusill, the book celebrates the nation’s lidos giving an insight into the swimming opportunities that exist across the country. “Historic Pools of Britain shares a vision with Janet and Emma – the desire to showcase the fabulous spectrum of pools that our country enjoys – and the Lido Guide will put outdoor pools on the map and share their details in a way not done before,” says Gill Wright, founder of Historic Pools of Britain. “Many significant lidos have already been lost, and those pools are simply irreplaceable. So we are delighted to see a book being published that will encourage more people to visit and explore those that remain.”

Emma and Janet set out with the ambition to feature every single open-air pool that survives in the UK, together with some that are on their way to being saved.  They have been swimming their way around the UK over many years, and it’s through their shared passion for outdoor swimming that the Lido Guide was born. They gathered support and funding for the project via Unbound, which specialises in crowdfunding for books. Historic Pools of Britain will give both financial and professional support to the Lido Guide.

“We want to make a book that inspires the reader to love, and use, these pools as much as we do,” says Emma. “The ongoing survival of outdoor pools depends on them being swum in. That may seem obvious, but there is a real risk that people assume their local outdoor pool will be there forever. But we know from the very many that have been lost over the years that we can’t take this for granted. Swimmers need to use them, or lose them. We have set out to make it easier for swimmers to use them.”

In weather like the UK is experiencing, a Lido Guide is needed to help the nation cool off but until the book is published, Emma has put together a list of the lesser-known lidos across the country. You can follow the book’s progress on Unbound.