Crowdfunder launched to 'futureproof' old baths

More than £150,000 is still needed to "futureproof" an Edwardian swimming pool in West Yorkshire.

A crowdfunder set up to support Bramley Baths in Leeds has enabled the community to own shares of the Grade-II listed building.

With less than a month left for supporters to donate, 268 investors have so far pledged almost £200,000.

Duty manager at Bramley Baths, Jennie Willetts, said it was hoped crowdfunding shares would mean "people feel ownership of the baths and support them longer term."

Built in 1904 in response to a cholera outbreak, Bramley Baths is the last remaining facility of its type in Leeds.

In 2011, the pool was threatened with closure as part of cuts at Leeds City Council.

But, in 2013, a community organisation bought it to keep it running as a pool.

Ms Willetts told the BBC the team at the baths wanted to fundraise "a little differently".

"Rather than fundraising in the traditional way, we wanted people to invest in the baths with the view that they could get interest on their investment," she said.

"We would become not only community-led but part-community-owned," Ms Willetts added.

"It is just really solidifying this place in the community and letting people get involved as much as they want to."

A series of improvements have been identified for the building over the next five years, the "most pressing" being a full repair of the roof structure.

Roof lanterns throughout the building are damaged and water ingress continues to risk further damage to the steam room floor, original ironworks in the current gym space, pool hall and studio roofs.

The team were unable to raise the £350,000 needed through operations alone and have applied for Heritage Lottery Fund support.

They said short term solutions "plug the hole" but were not sustainable in the long term.

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