A pool full of happy memories looks to the future

Volunteer community reporter Mary Mckay, who swam regularly at Motcombe Pool from 2012 until it closed due to Covid in 2020, finds out the latest on the renovation of this Edwardian building in Old Town.

The hoardings have gone up around Motcombe swimming pool.  Something is happening at last – but what? 

I asked Helen Nichols, one of the busiest people in Eastbourne, who is leading the ambitious plan to bring the pool and its buildings back to life.

Helen moved to Eastbourne at the end of 2019 and saw the Edwardian pool only once before it closed for the Covid lockdown in 2020. 

In fact, there had already been issues with the 115-year-old pool before the lockdown closure: the filtration system dated from 1951; there had previously been a temporary closure due to a leak; and an Eastbourne Borough Council inspection in 2021 found a further, serious leak.

After a period of uncertainty, the council confirmed that they would not sell the pool but it was estimated that £1,000,000 would be needed for basic repairs and the future looked uncertain.

Getting the ball rolling

At this point Helen, a successful architectural consultant, became involved.

With a lifelong passion for swimming, saving the pool was a cause Helen could really warm to. 

She appreciated the unique heritage of the building and, after going to a pool open day run by the council, joined the Community Interest Company (CIC) which had been founded by two Eastbourne councillors.

People power secures pool

With the founding of the CIC in 2022, an expert and enthusiastic group of volunteers with specialisms as diverse as heritage and accountancy, risk analysis and decarbonisation came together as a team to ensure that the pool had a future.

Working tirelessly over the last two and a half years and helped by the dedicated Friends of Motcombe Pool, Helen and the CIC managed to secure funding from the government’s Community Ownership Fund of more than £500,000 last December.

Although the application itself was fraught with challenges.   

Touch and go

Applying for funding is an arduous process – even more so when a large amount of money is involved. 

To apply to the Community Ownership Fund in 2024, Motcombe Community Pool CIC had to produce a lengthy business plan in support of the 28-page application form. Facts and figures had to be complied and research carried out, a process which took many months. 

However, when the General Election was called for July 4 last year, the uncertainty surrounding a potential change of government meant the whole process was suddenly speeded up.  

Helen recalls that she worked on the application through the night before the deadline, submitting it with two and a half minutes to spare!

Thankfully, all the hard work paid off but it was only after nail-biting months of waiting that the CIC heard the positive news. 

What makes Motcombe Pool special?

At a time when so many good causes need funds, what makes Motcombe Pool stand out from the crowd?

Helen explained to me that the pool is unique in being built on a natural chalk spring. This spring – which feeds the pond in Motcombe Gardens opposite the pool – was the heart of old Eastbourne. 

Its importance is such that it was possible to establish Motcombe as an ‘asset of community value’ and this milestone gave further protection to the pool buildings.

If such an asset is listed for sale, the community could enact the ‘community right to bid’ which would give them the opportunity to raise the money to purchase the asset. 

A bright future

But this isn't the only benefit of the chalk spring. Behind the hoardings, technical work is going on to measure the rate of the water flow to find out whether a ground source heat pump can be used to heat the pool's water, thus making Motcombe Pool a truly sustainable asset for Eastbourne.

With funding for Phase One secured, the future for Motcombe looks bright. 

In this first phase there are plans for a coffee shop and a gym which will generate income for the project. Keen-eyed passers-by will see that re-pointing has started on the pool attendant's house, which will become a community wellbeing and creative hub

But what about the pool itself, of which local people have so many happy memories?

Councillor Colin Swansborough (Lib Dem), who has supported the project throughout, is in no doubt: it is only a matter of time before the revamped Motcombe pool opens.

The persistence and determination of Helen, the CIC and the Friends have ensured that, as Helen puts it: “The pool family, 120 years in formation, should not be lost.”

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