THE Friends of Bude Sea Pool has recently been granted a lease by Cornwall Council to take on the old toilet block in Summerleaze car park, and have been getting to work, with some much-needed help, to transform the run-down building into a new office and shop.

Work recently started on the old toilet block at Summerleaze, and the team was joined by a group from the Exeter Army recruitment division, who helped get work started. In time, the Bude community will see the building’s renovation from a run-down toilet block, into a new, modern administration office for the charity, along with a shop.

The Friends of Bude Sea Pool have needed a more permanent place to work from, which has more visibility and where the general public can pop in to find out more about Bude Sea Pool.

There will be a new sign on the east-facing wall of the building, welcoming visitors to Summerleaze beach.

Exeter Army recruitment division volunteers helped knock the building’s interior walls out, for which the charity has said it is ‘very grateful’.

A spokesperson for the charity said: “Also thanks must go to the many businesses that have offered support, and all the volunteers who are giving their time and materials to get this new resource up and running.”

The Friends of Bude Sea Pool see this new office giving more public engagement and having just one address — rather than six different ones for people to contact them. It also means that many garages and rooms in people’s homes will not be cluttered with the Friends of Bude Sea Pool’s paperwork and ‘stuff’.