Your Fund Surrey - Summary

Rebuilding Changing Rooms & Provision Of Environmentally-Friendly Pool Heating

The project constitutes the second and final Stage 2 of a major project to substantially upgrade the swimming pool and its systems, to secure its long-term sustainability, for the benefit of all swimmers from the local community in Shere and the surrounding parishes. 

The principal project aim is to rebuild the very old timber-built changing rooms which have become dilapidated. New high quality changing cubicles and toilet facilities will be provided, along with a suitable signing-in/ information room and secure storage for chemicals and equipment, to meet latest health and safety standards. There will also be a dedicated changing room for disabled swimmers, facilitating disabled access to the pool for the first time by also raising the new changing rooms to pool level, providing ramps to allow wheelchair access, an additional hand-rail and a mobile hoist.  

In addition, Shere Swimming Pool Club (SSPC) is very keen to acquire an air source heat pump (ASHP) to supplement the gas boilers for heating the pool. This will be more efficient, save money, facilitate extension of the swimming season, as well as substantially reducing carbon emissions.

The total budget cost of the planned work is £120,000 of which £78,000 has already been procured. The shortfall of £42,000 is now being sought from Your Fund Surrey, given that other avenues for more grants and donations have now been explored.      

This unique open-air, heated swimming pool, situated very conveniently in the heart of Shere Village, is extremely popular within the local community, providing significant mental as well as physical well-being benefits to individual swimmers, in addition to allowing families and friends to enjoy socialising through swimming together outdoors.  

Our overall vision seeks to promote even greater local participation, use, physical fitness and swimming competence, facilitated by more attractive, higher quality swimming and changing facilities. In summary, the benefits to the wider community will be to enable the pool to be used by local schools, disabled and other groups, such as the scouts and guides for the first time, increasing membership numbers. Everyone living locally will continue to be entitled to join, with fees being kept to an absolute minimum and free use for those experiencing financial hardship.