Cleveland Pools restoration appeal launched in Bath

A campaign to restore a 200-year-old lido in Bath to its former glory has stepped up a gear.

Cleveland Pools in Bath, claimed to be Britain's only surviving Georgian lido, has been redundant since 1984.

A community trust is now working to bring the crescent-shaped lido back into public use and wants to raise a total of £3m to make that a reality.

Former Olympian Sharron Davies has given her backing to a fundraising appeal which was launched earlier.

The restoration plans include a heated pool, children's pool, cafe and access by boat via the River Avon which runs alongside the lido.

'Support it'

They have been drawn up by the Cleveland Pools Trust (CPT) which is working in partnership with the Prince's Regeneration Trust (PRT), English Heritage and Bath & North East Somerset Council.

The CPT will need to raise at least 10% of the £3m to show potential funders, such as the Heritage Lottery Fund, that it is serious about the project.

Ros Kerslake, chief executive of the PRT, said: "If you love the idea of having this reopened and having it for families, tourism and sport, you need to actively support it.

"This is the opportunity for people to step forward and say 'yes I will buy into that', because they [the CPT] won't get there without it."

An English Heritage conservation newsletter from last year described the pools as "a Georgian gem" but said they had "suffered a great deal from decay and neglect".