In 1969 Southend closed its 300m long lido which is now the footprint of the Casino in Westcliff-On-Sea. With 2023 setting to be the year of the lido and Essex now only having one in the entire county, located in Brightlingsea.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund has been supporting communities across the country to help maintain and bring back lidos due to the popularity of open water swimming and cold water dipping, recreations that have seen an ever increasing rise.
Friday the 20th our very own Sarah-Jane Coombes received a call from the producer of the BBC Essex morning breakfast show with Tony Fisher to come on the show Saturday to talk live about the benefits Southend as a city would enjoy if it was to bring back what was once one of the most popular attractions and meet ups.
Sarah has been actively working behind the scenes to see a return of the Southend Marine Activity Centre, also know as the SMAC. A community hub that would provide a range of activities and not just water based. The building which has toilets, showers and lockers along with storage space would be a fitting location for a lido.
You can listen to the interview on line or via the BBC Sounds App.