Torbay pool marks 50 years — but faces uphill battle to stay afloat

Brixham's Admiral Pool is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year — with some challenges to overcome.

The Admiral is the only heated pool in Brixham.

Open all year round and run by the community for the community, it relies on entrance fees, grants and legacies to provide activities at an affordable price. A board of trustees who are all local volunteers, along with full and part-time employees, run the pool under the auspices of the Brixham Admiral Swim Company.

For the first time the pool has outlined the challenges that lie ahead and what has been achieved so far.

Mike Seffert, chair of trustees, explained: “The Admiral Swimming Centre is a small but popular pool in Brixham run as a charity by a board of trustees who are all volunteers, and a small team of employees.

“Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and having been hit by Covid closures, soaring energy prices, Brixham water contamination issues and the cost-of-living crisis, it faces a number of environmental and expensive maintenance challenges.”

Above: Admiral Swimming Pool

Phil Thomas, pool manager, added: “Our aim is to reach net zero by 2030 but our current pool heating system needs fully replacing, and pool modernisation will cost a total of £200,000.

“Thanks to a grant from the government-funded Swimming Pool Support Fund, we have solar panels and monitoring software in place and are in a stronger position to apply for grants in the future.”

He added: “Focussing on reducing electricity consumption and CO2 emissions, reducing single use plastic and waste going to landfill, testing environmentally friendly products, and replacing the pool lights with more energy saving LEDs will help us meet our goal.”

The pool received grant funding of £61,000 from the government’s Swimming Pool Support Fund. A total of 177 panels were fitted on the pool roof in January as well as a monitoring screen and software. 

It is expected that the pool should save £12,000 per year on electricity bills — and it is planning to sell any excess electricity produced to the National Grid.

The pool caters for all ages, from babies to people in their nineties. Sessions for senior citizens and the disabled include over 50s Aqua Fit, ACE disability and Aqua Size.

In addition, the pool is used by local schools, colleges and clubs and also runs a very popular Swim School and Aqua Tots for younger children. Children who have learnt to swim move up to the thriving Swimming Club. 

Wellbeing sessions include Aqua Size, Aqua Fit and Jean's 50+ Aqua Fit. Jean's 50+ Aqua Fit sessions were originally one session per week to keep fit to music. Although advertised for the over 50s, the majority of swimmers are aged over 70 and the oldest is 90.

The Admiral Pool works in partnership with local schools, colleges and community organisations, including Access for Community Education. It encourages those on low incomes to take up offers from the pool.

In recent years it has provided subsidised lifeguard training for young people, encouraging those from low-income families to apply and take part as normally the cost of the course is very expensive. 

It provides a subsidised Easter Swim School for low-income families to teach young children to swim.

Working with the Brixham food bank, it also provides free swimming sessions for families including grandparents who use the foodbank.