An independently managed swimming venue is appealing to the public for support to ensure it can keep its doors open.

Located on Eastern Road in Brighton, the Brighton Swimming Centre functions as a charitable pool offering tuition, diverse programmes, and general swimming sessions for beginners and locals wanting to maintain fitness.

The venue originally operated as part of St Mary’s Hall School for Girls, with the centre leasing the facility for evening and weekend sessions from 1992 onwards.

When the school shut its doors in 2009, an opportunity emerged to secure the building’s lease, resulting in the creation of Brighton Swimming Centre.

Emergency work was carried out on the building’s exterior to ensure public safety.

During renovation work on the structure’s pointing, inspectors discovered that a large section of the front wall was becoming loose, necessitating urgent stabilisation measures.

The project had to be undertaken straightaway over fears the wall might collapse, entailing the removal of brickwork and full rebuilding.

With the renovation work now complete, the venue is requesting local support to collect £35,000 to cover costs and allow services to continue.

Managing Director Michael Kruger explained that the organisation has been serving this community for at least 15 years and it is now time to ask the community for support to help them continue providing this service.

He highlighted their solid track record, noting their excellent standing for first-rate coaching and the range of activities they provide, which is particularly uncommon. He emphasised that they maintain full-time swimming teachers on staff, which is almost unheard of in this sector.

He expressed a desire to maintain this standard and grow further, describing it as a neighbourhood facility they cannot afford to lose.

The venue offers swimming lessons for children and adults, including one-to-one sessions. It also holds particular appeal for young people with special educational needs.

As well as swimming instruction, the facility runs water-based exercise classes, exclusive evening periods, and its Pool to Pier scheme—which builds swimmers’ capabilities from pool settings to open water swimming.

Throughout the Easter break, the venue is taking part in Brighton and Hove City Council’s holiday activities and food programme.

Having fully booked all sessions the previous summer, the council approached the venue to deliver the scheme again.

The premises also include several rooms that can be hired out.

Michael stressed how vital swimming proficiency is and the venue’s role in this area.

He described swimming ability as holding tremendous importance, noting that the safety aspect is massive for them and truly drives them toward achieving this. He mentioned there are also health benefits, describing swimming as an incredibly healthy activity.

Once children achieve swimming competency, he said they aim to motivate them to continue swimming and incorporate it into an active lifestyle.

Later this year, the venue will celebrate its 50th anniversary since first opening in 1976. Plans are being arranged to host a festivities occasion and collect funds for the centre.

Any additional contributions would be put toward modernising other parts of the premises, including improving changing facilities accessibility.

Michael described the experience of entering the place as unique, noting it is truly remarkable and holds tremendous possibility. He expressed his belief that they are only beginning to realise their potential, and that the instruction quality remains high due to the teaching hours their staff receives.

Those wishing to donate can find the fundraising appeal on the CrowdFunder website by looking for Keep Brighton Swimming Centre Open.