The revival of lidos across the UK and Ireland has gained an extra boost with a 'toolkit' for community groups and councils working to revive or create lidos, and for operators developing pools for the future.

The Lido Toolkit is the culmination of Pooling Resources - a year-long collaboration supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Future Lidos. The Toolkit is free to access, and contains a wealth of insight assembled from a wide range of experienced pool operators and project leaders.

It includes topics like environmental sustainability, inclusivity and business development, as well as a range of evidence for the health, social and economic benefits that lidos and bring.

Eilish McGuinness chief executive of the Heritage Fund, said, "Our support to Future Lidos for their Pooling Resources project has enabled the creation of this invaluable Toolkit to help others build capacity and understanding of lidos so that they can be enjoyed by communities for years to come.”

“We are delighted we have supported a renaissance in public love for lidos, by providing more than £13 million towards restoring and celebrating lidos such as Saltdean Lido in Brighton and Cleveland Pools in Bath. Lidos are true public and community spaces, providing health, wellbeing and happiness to all."

Deborah Aydon, project director for the Lido Toolkit said, “Lidos are great crucibles of joy, wellbeing and connection. We hope the Toolkit will boost the many future lidos projects, and support lido operators who are developing their pools for the future.”

Driven by communities craving the many benefits of outdoor swimming, the rebirth of lidos in England has really gathered pace in the 2020s. Already in 2024, the rebirth of Ipswich’s Broomhill Pool has been confirmed, Saltdean Lido has opened its new community library and its ballroom, and lido upgrades have been announced in Hampton, Cheltenham and Droitwich. In Yorkshire, a community group has stepped in to secure the future of Ilkley Lido. In Ireland, Westmeath Council has invited tenders for a new 'Shannon Pool’.

This builds on multiple lido wins in 2023, with open-air swimming pools reopened in Bath and Hull, and Sea Lanes - the first new outdoor pool opened in Brighton since the 1990s. There was investment in the future of lidos in Ware, Newbury and Tooting, and plans were laid for major redevelopments in Plymouth and Portsmouth. New pools also were announced in Ilford, Hackney, Ealing and Ilfracombe.

The team behind the Lido Toolkit says the goal is to benefit communities across the UK and Ireland who will reap the social and economic rewards of having a pool of their own. The Toolkit can be found on the website of Future Lidos - an informal network of projects across the UK and Ireland. The site includes a map of existing and future lidos across the UK and Ireland.

Future Lidos founder Michael Wood said, “Realising the scale of live independent restoration projects across the UK and Ireland, Future Lidos was designed as a collective, to collaborate, support, research, share and speak with greater consistency, cohesion and authority. This funding has been invaluable, to ensure the broad societal value and demand is evidenced and understood, providing a platform for growth of these public luxuries, supporting vibrant, diverse and healthy communities.”