Beccles Lido recently received a community initiative award from Community Action Suffolk (CAS), in recognition of their work and support for the local community.
Suzanne Gibbons from Beccles Lido Limited accepted the trophy and certificate on behalf of the organisation at their weekly fund raising events coffee mornings held at the Quaker House in Beccles.
Suzanne said she was accepting the award on behalf of the team but it was also an award for the community of Beccles, many of whom have supported the project from the beginning, “It shows us that when the community feels passionate about something, then they all do their best to help where they can”.
Beccles Lido Limited (BLL) took over the almost derelict open air swimming pool in 2010, re-opening it following a fundraising campaign fully supported by the local community and volunteers. Five years later it has been transformed into a facility enjoyed by more than 40,000 people last year. Residents from local communities as well as holiday-makers enjoy both the town and the facility during its three month season.
Modest entrance fees and café prices, plus disabled access and a hoist, means the pool is fully accessible to all both physically and financially. Although qualified lifeguards, some kiosk staff and the café cook are paid, there are volunteers who support the operation. The management and maintenance is done by the almost 100 volunteers who continue to give their time to ensure that the pool remains where it has been since 1959 – at the heart of the community.
Claire Taylor-Crisp, Community Field Officer for Suffolk Coastal at CAS, who presented the Colonel Probert award for community initiative said,
“This award provides people with the opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to an organisation which works for the benefit of the community. CAS is delighted that the award has gone to such a worthwhile project in Waveney. The award is named in honour of Lt. Col Richard Probert, OBE, DL. who was actively involved in many Suffolk and Sudbury organisations.”
CAS’s award winners in 2015 are:
- Doris Main, Woodbridge – The Ian Campbell MBE award for individual initiative
- Beccles Lido Limited – The Colonel Probert award for community initiative
- John Michell, Stowmarket – The Outstanding Contribution to Volunteering award
- Seagull Theatre, Lowestoft – The Village Hall or Community Building award
- Natasha Graves, Ipswich – The Andrew Towers award for Young Person of the Year
- Youthbase, Stowmarket – The Roddy Macleod award for youth club of the year
- Liquid Youth Club, Bury St. Edmunds – The Anne Dunford OBE Award for Youth Participation award