COUNTY NEWS: Making a splash! Crowds turn out for Lido reopening

A Sussex Lido opened to much fanfare last weekend after a £3 million refurbishment and seven years of hard work by volunteers.
The Saltdean Lido opening event SUS-170621-164214001The Saltdean Lido opening event SUS-170621-164214001
The Saltdean Lido opening event SUS-170621-164214001

More than 4,000 swimmers joined the celebrations at Saltdean Lido by taking a dip in the newly-revamped pool.

The Lido will now open every weekend until July 8, from which date it will open daily.

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The public pool – which was first opened in the 1930s – had fallen into disrepair and was set to be turned into flats. But residents rallied against the development.

Saltdean Lido opening SUS-170621-164241001Saltdean Lido opening SUS-170621-164241001
Saltdean Lido opening SUS-170621-164241001

It was a successful campaign which culminated in the group taking on a 60-year lease for the Grade II-listed Lido, under the Saltdean Lido CIC (community interest company).

Rebecca Crook, of the Saltdean Lido CIC, said: “We are quite overwhelmed. It is quite emotional. People were so pleased to see it restored and that they will be able to use it now.”

But reopening the pool is just phase one of the project. The second and final phase will see the estimated £6m refurbishment of the Lido building.

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The pool renovation was funded government grants, developers’ contributions and fundraising. Now the CIC will be making further funding bids for its restoration of the 1938 art deco Lido building, which it hopes will re-open by 2020.

To find out more about the Lido, visit: saltdeanlido.co.uk

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