England’s highest open-air swimming pool is set to reopen this week after a concerted fundraising campaign.
Shap Swimming Pool, run and maintained by volunteers, will open this Saturday, May 24.
The pool has provided a space for fitness and leisure at the heart of the rural community since 1987.
It hosts school swimming lessons for local schools and gives locals a space to exercise and socialise, from families during the summer holidays to older users in fitness classes and adult swimming sessions.
Briony Newsome, chair, said: “The last 12 months have been a big challenge for Shap Swimming Pool.
“We have had to raise nearly £20,000 for new filters, and the cost of energy bills and chemicals has significantly increased.
“I want to take this opportunity to say a big thank all those who have provided funding and given their time to help us get the pool ready for the 2025 season.”
“We are now looking forward to welcoming visitors from across Cumbria and further afield, to enjoy our friendly and welcoming community swimming pool.”
Visitors to the pool can pay for each session, and there will also be a return of season tickets for regular swimmers.
Shap Swimming Pool thanked Cumbria Community Foundation, Shap Community Enterprise, Frieda Scott Foundation and Eamont & Shap Place Action Group for funding the new pool filters, and Westmorland & Furness Council, National Lottery, Shap Community Enterprise, Center Parcs, AW Jenkinson and Garfield Weston Foundation for contributing towards pool running costs.
