A NORTH Yorkshire open air pool is to host a charity 'dip' this weekend as it remains open for cold water swimming.

Helmsley Open Air Swimming Pool, which was built in 1968, and remains one of only a handful of lidos in the country has enjoyed a very successful heated season.

The pool used to close at the end of the summer holidays – but in recent years has opened on weekends, on an unheated basis in the autumn.

The popularity of ‘Cool Pool’ has grown and grown, in 2022 it ran for six weeks and the plan for this year is to do eight weeks which means there will be swim sessions in November for the first time in the pool’s history.

Paul Goodwin, a volunteer and trustee at the lido, said: "For each of the three weekend sessions held in September over 100 swimmers ‘enjoyed’ pool temperatures in the high teens and early twenties – plus there was an additional Harvest Full Moon swim.

"Six weeks in and the pool temperature is now around 12C with a charity breath work and dip planned for Saturday, October 19, with all proceeds going to help survivors of cancer with the ‘Dip4Nip’ charity.!

Paul added: "A small group of volunteers gets the pool ready each Friday afternoon for the weekend’s swimming. The recent investment in a single automated pool cover has helped retain the pool’s heat with the water temperature dropping around 2 degrees a week.

“More and more people are seeing benefits of cold water swimming and the gradual weekly temperature drop along with investments in hot poolside showers, this year, mean the pool is a great place to ‘dip your toe’ into cold water swimming.”

Tickets for the November 2 swim and the charity breath work and dip event can be found at www.helmsleyopenairpool.org with more information at dip4nip.nipcharity.org