VOLUNTEERS who have rescued a swimming baths for community use have set themselves a target date to reopen.

Campaigners in Weardale banded together a year ago after Wolsingham pool closed to the public because it lost a £20,000-a-year council subsidy.

Yesterday, they announced that it should open again at the end of May in time for the school half-term holiday.

A full-time manager's job is being advertised and there will be also be posts for part-time leisure assistants and lifeguards.

The pool, in the grounds of Wolsingham School and Community College, is owned by Durham County Council.

It was closed to the public last March, but it has stayed open for school sessions.

It shut because Wear Valley District Council pulled out of a sharing scheme, although the authority agreed a £10,000 one-off payment to support the volunteers' efforts.

The pool is being drained today so that Durham County Council can carry out repairs costing £30,000.

If enough people use the facility and the project is judged a success, the volunteer directors will bid for funds to build a new swimming pool alongside it.

A sports hall is due to open in September in the same part of the school grounds, creating a valuable community facility.

Spokesman for the volunteers Dave Pearson said that the pool would be open after school and at weekends, with some daytime sessions for health-related activities such as GP referral exercise and physiotherapy.

He said: "We will be training lifeguards and recruiting volunteers to help with a range of different jobs such as manning the desk.

"We already have 150 people who have said they will be willing to help in some way and we will be calling on them in the near future.

"We all feel it is important to have swimming in the dale. We are losing sports facilities all the time."

Information will be posted on its website at www. wolsinghampool.co.uk