Swimathon and cake sale raises £3,600 for Calday pool upgrades

The event, at Calday Grange Swimming Pool began at 9.30pm on Friday, March 8, ending at 7am the following day and raised £3,600.

In total, 30 swimming club members and members of the public of all abilities took part, swimming 3,264 lengths, equating to 51 miles.

It takes the figure raised for planned refurbishment to almost £12,000. The Calday Pool Committee needs to raise around £60,000 for improvements which consist of three phases: developing new disability access, an open-plan reception area and finally changing room refurbishment.

The pool was built in 1922 so the upgrade will enable it to meet modern day standards, allowing it to continue to serve the needs of the 2,500 people who come through the doors on a weekly basis.

As a registered charity, Calday Pool is funded entirely by donations from the public, members and swimming clubs, so is reliant on grants and donations to fund the improvements.

The swimming pool manager Gary Lewis said: "We're delighted with the result from our overnight swimathon and cake sale – it’s amazing to see the target smashed, and great to see so many people taking part from this fantastic community".

Calday swimming pool manager Gary Lewis (Image: Gary Lewis)Heather Lovell, swimming club and Calday Pool Committee member, who organised the event, said: "It's been a real team effort – from all of the fantastic swimmers smashing their targets to all those who contributed by baking cakes and all of those who have donated through the Go Fund me page and buying cakes, we couldn’t have done it without your support!"

To support Calday Pool with its fundraising efforts, either by donating via the Go Fund me page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/Calday-pool or organising a fundraising event, email gary-lewis@live.com.