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Developments

Bude Sea Pool today does not look exactly the same as it did in the 1920s. It is the same basic structure and materials, but it has changed slowly over time:

  • Diving boards have been removed for safety as water depth changes significantly
  • Cliffs areas have placed out of bounds due to increased coastal erosion
  • Terraces have been constructed to accommodate more visitors

In 2010, it was going to change very drastically. There were plans in place to blow up the outer wall and destroy it entirely. Government and local authorities were forced to make huge cuts, unable to afford essential commitments due to austerity. Cornwall Council recognised that they could not afford any litigation brought against them for injury and were in negotiations to have Bude Sea Pool demolished.

The community of Bude was furious and 4 people came together and stepped up to form a charity. With a business start-up loan of £50,000 from Cornwall Council, Friends of Bude Sea Pool (FoBSP) took over the lease and became the new owners of Bude Sea Pool. Its task was to save the Pool.

With the Pool happily saved from demolition, the Charity now faces new challenges: its aim is now to maintain, sustain and enhance the Pool. An increase in the cold-water swimmers and other water-based activity means accommodating increasing popularity. Rising tide heights and crumbling cliff faces present new environmental challenges.

What has stood the test of time is the Charity’s commitment to keep Bude Sea Pool free, safe and available for all to enjoy, just as the Thynne family envisaged.