The £100,000 battle to save Maryport swimming pool is on.

Eleven trustees have been appointed with Cumbria Community Foundation’s grants and donations officer Annalee Holliday as chairman.

Mrs Holliday said the first hurdle jumped was to discover that the project could be eligible for a grant from Sports England.

“We are in the middle of applying for it and hope we could get around £100,000.”

But she said it was difficult to know how much would be needed to open the pool.

“We would look at hiring a manager and deputy and two swimming coaches. We need to refurbish the dressing rooms and get a proper survey done to see what is required.

“Both Allerdale and Maryport councils have offered support. We are also talking to the county council about trying to get a 25-year lease on the pool for a peppercorn rental.

The swimming pool, at Netherhall School, is owned by the county council.

Mrs Holliday said schools in the area have also been supportive.

“Many of them have had to cut back on the time devoted to teaching children to swim because of the further distance they have to travel.”

The local trustees have been working closely with Wigton who formed a charitable trust when their local pool closed.

Maryport is in the process of establishing charitable trust status and, once that happens, Mrs Holliday said they would be looking to setting up some kind of crowd funding initiative to give locals the chance to contribute to the pool.

The swimming pool, at Netherhall School because of costly emergency repairs which school head, David Tromans, said the school could not afford.

A public meeting was held with a trust formed immediately afterwards.

If successful, the pool could be open within a year.