Beccles Lido is an open-air pool at Puddingmoor,

Beccles Beccles ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Suffolk District, East Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . The town is located along the A145 r ...

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

, on the banks of the

River Waveney The River Waveney is a river which forms the boundary between Suffolk and Norfolk, England, for much of its length within The Broads. The earliest attestation of the name is from 1275, ''Wahenhe'', from ''*wagen + ea'', meaning the river by a q ...

Description

The lido is 30 x 16 metres with a diving board, small slide, paddling pool and sunbathing area. It is normally open from late May to early September. It was closed throughout 2009 but reopened August 2010 following a change of ownership and subsequent refurbishment.

History

The lido was constructed in 1959 on the site of an older bathing pool. Prior to that swimmers used a fenced off part of the River Waveney in the town. Heating was installed in 1975. In 2004 Waveney District Council announced plans to close the lido and to build an indoor swimming pool. In reaction to these plans, the Friends of Beccles Outdoor Pool campaign started in 2006. In 2009, Waveney District Council decided they would no longer manage the Beccles Lido (nor Halesworth Open Air Pool) after April 2009 so neither opened. Beccles Lido Limited was created and they re-opened the lido in 2010. The chairman of Beccles Lido, Maureen Saunders, won a community pride award in July 2009 for her work campaigning for the lido and establishing the management company.

References

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External links

Beccles Lido

Friends of Beccles Open Air Swimming Pool

Oliver Merrington's website www.lidos.org.uk
Lidos Buildings and structures completed in 1959 Buildings and structures in Suffolk Beccles