Our Story.

We are pleased to update you: with your support, and the support of generous grants, we have now updated the boilers to heat the pool water and the showers.

We have ordered new filters and the other equipment needed to refurbish the plant room. The works have been commissioned and should be completed in the autumn 2024.

We have purchased a new giant inflatable.

Please help us to raise the funds to enable us to make further improvements: we want to install more solar panels to reduce our use of fossil fuels.

We want to improve the changing facilities and to provide poolside lockers.

And we need to replace the pool cover to improve energy efficiency.

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It has been over forty-four years since the pool first welcomed the people of Topsham.

But many people who will visit this year will not realise that the pool is not a council-run amenity, but was founded by the people of Topsham and was the result of years of fundraising. It is run as a charity.

Tucked away in the centre of the town, Topsham Pool was the result of a huge fundraising effort, first by a small group of tireless and determined individuals and then by the whole community. During the 1970s huge mountains of waste paper were stockpiled and sold, and thousands of glass bottles were collected and returned. Countless jumble sales, carnival floats and many generous donations gradually pushed up the total. A Sports Council grant topped up the fund and in 1979, after several setbacks, lots of work and laughs, a decade of fundraising culminated in the grand opening. Olympic gold medallist David Wilkie did the honours and officially opened the pool and even swam a few lengths.

Topsham Pool has always been run by a committee of volunteers and in 1979, while jubilant that it was finally finished, the committee had already begun to worry about bringing in enough money to keep it open!

Last year there were more than 50 volunteer receptionists. A total of 1080 swimming lessons on Tuesday and Thursday evenings in addition to schools who hire the pool in the morning. There were more than 4600 swims at the 6-8.30am lane swimming club, 140 attendees at aqua aerobics, over 20,000 swims in the public daytime sessions, and a really popular cold-water swimming session from September to December attracting many new swimmers. There was a large inflatable obstacle course on Saturday mornings, and many children's parties at weekends.

The pool plant room needs major refurbishment, and we would like to make more use of solar power to keep the water pumps running. We need your help to raise the funds required.

Here are links to the history of Topsham Pool in pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/CePFZfH41g21jD7o7

The Plant room https://photos.app.goo.gl/KkP29oxRaJmjz5fG9

Cold Water Swimming https://photos.app.goo.gl/tDUQgJbSX2GXJwFt9

Recent pool photos https://photos.app.goo.gl/KgVQUhub6HjwAGnF6

Your support is massively appreciated.

You can donate by using this link: https://checkout.justgiving.com/7sk0yaoao8

or by using this QR code:

Update of fundraising July 2024

Thanks to your generosity, and with the donation of substantial grants, we have reached our target for the plant room renovations. There are further improvements that we would like to make and your continued help is very much appreciated.