Put another brick in the wall to help save Saltdean Lido

Saltdean Lido urgently needs to raise £70,000 if it is to continue with its restoration plans. The Community Interest Company (CIC) set up in 2011 to restore the lido has successfully raised £8 million pounds for the project, but an unexpected additional cost arose earlier this summer.

A new £70,000 electricity sub-station is needed to power the pools as there is currently not enough electricity capacity in Saltdean. A sub-station that had previously existed on the lido site had been removed (despite a lease which isn’t due to end until 2045). Neither Brighton & Hove City Council nor UK Power Networks can account for its removal. Unfortunately the CIC was unable to persuade either Brighton & Hove Council or UK Power Networks (which builds the infrastructure over which companies like EDF provide electricity) to help. BHCC offered a loan of just £10,000 whilst UK Power Networks said it couldn’t help due to OFGEM rules.
While £70,000 is a relatively small sum in comparison to the funds already raised, those existing grants cannot be re-allocated to cover the unexpected expense, so the CIC has come up with a novel way to raise the cash – using crowd funding and offering funders the option to have their name recorded on the lido’s Wall of Fame. The Wall of Fame is a new wall that needs to be built as part of the external plant room and will be visible to all visitors.
The CIC suggests buying a named brick in the wall would be an everlasting Christmas present and an interesting and unusual gift.
The bricks can feature a name or a customised message dedicated to someone special, for many years to come, from £50.
Find out more: http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/lido