VIEW FROM THE WATER
Outdoor swimming communities are awesome, says Simon Griffiths
Simon Griffiths
Swimmers now protected from both the Atlantic and council cuts
Originally built in the 1930s, Bude Sea Pool has been a popular swimming spot for generations and is the top visitor attraction in the town. However, it costs around £40,000 per year to keep it operational and safe and in 2010 Cornwall Council decided to withdraw its funding. The pool faced closure and, due to the daily pounding from the Atlantic, eventual destruction.
Galvanised by the threat of closure, local swimmers formed a charity, Friends of Bude Sea Pool, and in 2012 took over the management of the pool. Where the council saw a burden, the ‘Friends’ saw an opportunity. As a charity dedicated to caring for and enhancing the pool they could operate very differently to the council. In a few short years, the transformation has been incredible. Expensive construction and restoration work has been carried out, new beach huts installed and building of a new hub with toilets and changing rooms is underway.