More donations needed to reopen Birtley Swimming Pool
The team bidding to breathe fresh life into Birtley’s swimming pool have issued a final fundraising plea ahead of its planned reopening in September.
The people aiming to reopen Birtley Swimming pool are issuing a fundraising plea, as they need another £10 000, ahead of the planned reopening in September.
The Birtley pool was one of the sites closed down by Gateshead Council 12 month ago, along with the likes of Gateshead Leisure Centre.
But local swimming clubs have united to take over the site and bring it back into use, with hopes that its doors will now be open once more in just a matter of weeks.
The team bidding to breathe fresh life into Birtley’s swimming pool have issued a final fundraising plea ahead of its planned reopening in September.
Birtley Swimming Centre was one of the sites shut down by Gateshead Council 12 months ago under highly contentious budget cuts, alongside Gateshead Leisure Centre.
But local swimming clubs have united to take over the site and bring it back into use, with hopes that its doors will now be open once more in just a matter of weeks.
They are now calling on generous locals to help with the final push that will see their dream become a reality.
The Birtley Community Aquatic Centre (BCAC) group need to secure another £10,000 in local donations to help towards the cost of renovating the building and restoring it to its rightful state.
A new online crowdfunding page has now been launched to source the match funding which is required in order for the centre’s trustees to access the £272,000 they have already been awarded from the Government’s Community Ownership Fund (COF).
A spokesperson for the group said that the £10,000 target “might sound a lot, but it actually represents less than £1 per person from the 18,000 people who live in the Birtley area”.
Locals are also being offered the chance to buy a wide range of special rewards donated by supporters and businesses to help with the effort – including a cruise along the Tyne, swimming equipment, a Peloton bike, and flowers.
In total, more than £380,000 of funding has been sought to try and reopen the centre.
The biggest expenditure is one the replacement of the pool’s boilers, which alone will cost £181,000, while there are also plans to repair its water slide, resurface a section of the car park, and install new security measures, IT equipment, furniture, and signage.
A previous crowdfunding campaign last autumn generated £23,000 thanks to the generous support of the Birtley community and local businesses, while further cash have been secured through fundraising events and donations from local councillors.
Sport England has committed to put in £10,000 towards the new campaign, on top of £8,000 it offered previously.
Even if the latest target is hit, another £55,000 will be needed to cover the full costs of reopening the pool.
However, BCAC treasurer Matthew Grant confirmed that the group was “in advanced discussions” with other national funding organisations to secure that remaining sum by the end of July.
Edith Scott, chair of Birtley Swimming Club, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the pool was on course to open ready for the club to hold its first session on September 4.
She said the situation was “looking really, really good” and praised the “fantastic” fundraising that had brought it this far, with the BCAC group having taken control of the facility from the council at the end of May.
She added: “Of course, we need all of the clubs and the schools to come back. The pool will not survive unless everybody gets behind it.
“That is our objective now, trying to get as many people as possible to come back once it is open again.”