From pool cleaning to pulling on gardening gloves, Northumbrian Water employees have been getting stuck in to help bring Weardale Pool in County Durham back to life.
Through the company's Just an Hour volunteering programme, colleagues have swapped their desks for DIY tools to support the community-led refurbishment of the much-loved pool.
The volunteer-led team behind the project has secured a 30-year lease and is working towards an ambitious goal of reopening the facility in 2027.
Northumbrian Water volunteers have been lending a hand with everything from gardening and maintenance work to cleaning the pool and sprucing up the site. The company has also donated PPE to help keep volunteers safe, supported fundraising efforts and provided a company mobile phone to help the charity stay connected.
Jennie Collingwood, Head of Corporate Affairs at Northumbrian Water, and a local in the area said: "Weardale Pool means so much to so many people, and it's been wonderful to see our colleagues getting involved and working alongside the dedicated volunteers who are bringing it back to life.
"Our Just an Hour programme is all about supporting the communities we serve, and this project is a fantastic example of people coming together to make a real difference. Whether it's helping tidy up the site, donating equipment or supporting fundraising efforts, we're proud to be playing a small part in helping create something special for local families and future generations."
As refurbishment work continues, the group driving it is continuing its fundraising efforts and working with volunteers, supporters and partners to achieve its vision of reopening Weardale Pool as a thriving community facility in 2027.
Dr Steve Lumb, a long-time supporter of the pool added "On behalf of all the trustees I would like to thank Northumbrian Water for all their help and support which has been invaluable to us.
“The team of volunteers went far and above expectations and worked solidly from 8am until late afternoon and were an absolute credit to Northumbrian Water.
“One of the teams pumped out three years' worth of debris from the deep end of the pool, and the others helped with a variety of jobs from manual tasks, like weeding to more technical jobs and were all great company.
“Fundraising to renovate the pool is steady but slower than hoped for due to a lack of any major grants, so if anyone reading this would like to support or sponsor us, please do get in touch."
The major transformation of Weardale Pool comes after it was originally opened in 1974 as Stanhope Pool, as one of only a few heated open-air pools in the UK but is currently closed following plant failures and funding constraints.
For more updates on the pool, information on the fundraising efforts and how you can help, visit their Facebook page on: https://www.facebook.com/groups/946901791174653
And, if you’d like to donate to the revival of the pool, go to: