Charity begins Bude sea pool repairs

The pool is topped up twice a day at high tide and is one of very few tidal pools remaining in the UK

A charity has started its management of a north Cornwall sea pool with a series of major repairs.

The Friends of Bude Sea Pool has a 99-year lease from Cornwall Council to run the 80-year-old attraction.

New sluice gates have been bought, a leak has been fixed and further work is planned for the coming months.

So far 1,200 people have signed up to a £10 annual membership fee, with volunteers predicting they need at least 4,000 supporters each year.

The sea pool was created in the 1930s and is used by local residents and holidaymakers. It is topped up twice a day at high tide.

The Conservative-Independent-run council announced in 2011 it was withdrawing funding from the pool.

Any money left from the authority funding has now dried up and the volunteers need to raise £50,000 a year to keep it open.

Paul Tilsey, chairman of the Friends of Bude Sea Pool, said: "The money is not just to maintain it but to upgrade it. We are looking at tapping into National Lottery funding.

"It's a long-term desire of ours to get this pool really first class."