Torbay Council and Brixham Town Council have stepped forward with financial support for a campaign to safeguard one of England’s few remaining seawater lidos.
The Councils have each pledged £60,000 towards a repair scheme which would secure the future of the popular seawater pool at Brixham.
The commitment follows a request for support from the Shoalstone Seawater Pool Community Interest Organisation which is applying for funding from the UK Government’s Community Ownership Fund.
The volunteer-run CIO has identified a two-stage engineering project costing £850,000 to fix the structural problems.
It launched a fundraising appeal including a crowdfunding campaign in March 2023 and is applying to the Community Ownership Fund for 80 per cent of the cost.
The funding pledge from the Councils, subject to the CIO being successful with its grant application, is seen as an important show of support and would help cover the remaining amount needing to be raised.
Shoalstone Pool on the stunning shoreline at Brixham was created in 1926 from a natural rockpool which has attracted bathers since Victorian times.
It is one of only a few of its kind left in the country and has faced an uncertain future in recent years due to financial insecurity and structural damage from wave action and storms.
The repair scheme is part of a strategy to protect the pool from the effects of climate change and create a viable financial future.
Brixham Town Council voted unanimously to pledge the £60,000 at its meeting in November, which was attended by Torbay Council’s Brixham Ward Councillors and Leader Cllr David Thomas.
Torbay Council then voted unanimously to make its own £60,000 pledge at its meeting in December.
Cllr Thomas said: “We see how important Shoalstone Pool is to the people of Brixham, and we want to back that up with the offer of £60,000 of match-funding alongside Brixham Town Council as requested.
“This grant shows our support for the project and we hope it will help the CIO towards achieving its aim of raising the full amount necessary to carry out the repairs so the pool can continue long into the future.”
Brixham Town Council’s Chairperson Cllr Michael Roseveare said: “Shoalstone Pool is a valued community asset and I am delighted that the Town Council unanimously pledged £60,000.
“This marks an increase in the momentum of fundraising by the CIO and the much-welcomed support from local businesses as well as individuals from within our community who have helped increase the money raised locally.
“On behalf of Brixham Town Council, I wish Shoalstone Seawater Pool CIO every success in their application to the Community Ownership Fund.”
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