A LIDO that first opened five decades ago is hoping to welcome swimmers back after a three-year closure.
Popular swimming spot Stanhope Open Air Swimming Pool is raising money for repairs and upgrades needed to open its doors once again.
The once bustling open air pool in County Durham was the area’s only heated lido.
It first opened in 1974 and welcomed swimmers for 48 years before its closure in 2023.
In 2023, the lido was forced to shut after it experienced electrical issues in the plant room.
But prior to that, the lido saw more than 8,000 swimmers in 2022.
Now, the charity looking after the pool is hoping that it will once again reopen to the public by next year.
The charity posted on Facebook about the update: “We are delighted to announce that we have agreed a new 30-year lease with our landlords. Weardale Open Air Swimming Pool first opened in 1974, with a life expectancy of 30 years.
“The hard work of our wonderful volunteers kept things going for much longer, but the pool infrastructure now needs complete renovation.”
It detailed that lots of essential works are still needed to restore the lido to its former glory.
This includes relining the pool, rewiring the whole site, refurbishing the plant room and upgrading the changing rooms and snack bar.
It added that it will need to “raise hundreds of thousands of pounds”, but locals remain optimistic.
One wrote on the post: “That’s fantastic news, loved that pool, be lovely to see it up and running again.”
Another added: “Great news, it is quite an asset to the area. Hope the future is bright!”
The charity is asking for the community and users to donate to help the cause – but is also applying for grants for the refurbishment.
The lido is 25metres long and when it was open was always heated to 27C – so it was warm even on the cool summer evenings.
It even had a springboard, so the depth of the pool was a maximum of three metres deep.
Along with the main pool was another smaller one for children which was just half a metre deep – it was also heated to the same temperature and had a slide.
Visitors were also able to use the on-site sauna, cafe and shop where they could buy dive toys, armbands and goggles.
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