Trunks at the ready to dip in Arundel’s only open-air pool

The Arundel Lido, in Queen Street, will be opening its doors for its 11th season this weekend. The opening follows on from a turbulent period which saw the future of the swimming pool in jeopardy.

However, following a fundraising drive by the trust which runs the facility, some £35,000 was raised to purchase a new state-of-the-art water heating system.

Ben Centa, the lido manager, said there would be plenty to do at the pool.

“We have also scheduled Zorb Ball (human-size inflatable balls) sessions every day at 5pm and shall be running both our Saturday morning swim school sessions throughout the season and our Monday to Friday ‘crash courses’ in the school holidays.

“And, of course, the lido’s facilities are also available for hire – for children’s parties, group visits, wedding receptions or whatever.”

The original Arundel Swimming Pool opened in 1960 and was built on land gifted to the town by the 16th Duke of Norfolk. In 1974, ownership passed to Arun District Council.

In 2000, Arun closed the site, claiming it could not afford the running costs, nor the investment needed to re-build the main pool.

Four years later, under the watchful eyes of the Arundel and Downland Community Leisure Trust, the lido was reopened.