MEMORABILIA of Dartington Swimming Pool is needed for a closing down party ahead of the pool committee diving headfirst into a massive fundraising drive.

The pool is in desperate need of a £350,000 refurbishment and the committee is forced to temporarily close the much-loved facility until the money has been raised and the repair work carried out.

Chairwoman Helen Tune says the whole structure of the pool will probably need rebuilding and that the fundraising and repairwork is estimated to take two years.

The committee is holding a closing party on Saturday September 3 and is planning to display photos and memorabilia of the pool.

Helen said: “The pool was built by locals in the 1970’s and has been run by various groups of volunteers over the years, and we would like to honour them at our closing party this year.

“We are asking for all those who have been involved with the pool to get in touch with us with any photos or memorabilia, or stories and memories they have.

“We would like as many as possible to attend the party and would like to have a memorial board for all those no longer with us.”

The 20 by 10 metre pool, nestled in a grassy knoll at Meadowbrook, was dug out by residents and has been run by volunteers as a not-for-profit facility since 1976.

Situated near to other community facilities including a play area, the river, woodlands, sports ground, bar and pizzeria, the pool is a popular attraction for all ages.

But it urgently needs refurbishing, said Helen.

“Sadly the pool will have to close this year until we raise the money to refurbish it, as the liner is cracked and it will not last the winter.

“We are getting by this season by using expanding foam and underwater glue to seal the cracks as they happen.

“It is anticipated that once the liner is removed, the structure itself will need to be replaced due to the original construction materials to be past their useful life.

“We also plan to extend the shallow end to enable a shallower area where toddlers can play, as the shallow end is around 1.5 meters currently, so it’s too deep for the little ones.

“We have done lots of consultation and everyone told us they wanted it heated, so we also plan to heat the water using air source heat pumps and solar panels to drive the pumps.

“This will future-proof the pool and protect it from the threats to swimming pools being reported on nationally, due to the rising cost of energy.”

The committee has already raised some money towards the refurbishment costs including some £6,000 at this year’s Meadowbrook Extravaganza event, and is in line to receive a £75,000 Section 106 grant from South Hams Council.

The committee will seek to match fund this amount as well as carrying out local fundraising events and initiatives.

“We have a small team of professional fundraisers volunteering for us,” said Helen. “All our fundraising will be done with the support of and collaboration with the Dartington Recreation Association, a charity composed of another dynamic committee of volunteers who manage the whole Meadowbrook site.

“It is anticipated to be a two year project to raise funds and rebuild the pool and we hope to reopen it in the summer of 2024

“We are sad the pool won’t be accessible to the community for this temporary period, but excited to be part of creating something that will promote active lifestyles for generations in our local area.

“We know how important exercise is to our wellbeing and we want to preserve this vital community asset so the health and wellbeing of Dartington and other local residents is promoted.”

The committee is planning to hold the closing BBQ party at the pool on Saturday September 10 from 3.30 to 6.30pm.

Anyone with memorabilia is asked to email [email protected]