The Flamingo Pool in Axminster will be opening its doors for the first time in months, having smashed its target for an online fundraising campaign.

After revealing that the charity-run swimming pool had lost £50,000 during the coronavirus lockdown, the Flamingo was unable to reopen when the government gave the go ahead in July.

Instead, it launched an online fundraising campaign with the aim of raising £5,000 to ensure the future sustainability of the pool and get it back up and running.

The campaign has smashed its target, so far raising more than £6,700 and the pool is now ready to welcome swimmers from Monday.

A statement on the Flamingo Pool Facebook page said: "We are so excited to announce that we are reopening our doors on Monday, August 24th to the general public.

"The first two weeks will be on a limited timetable. There will be a set of new rules and regulations in place including reduced space and capacity as well as greater and more frequent cleaning to ensure both the safety of our customers as well as our staff.

"Again, thank you for all your ongoing support, we are incredibly excited to welcome you back to swim with us."

Staff have been re-training over the past two weeks in preparation for the opening, and a few changes have been made to the pool building, such as introducing one-way systems and social distancing measures.

Other safety measures will mean that lockers will not be available and swimmers will instead be provided with a basket for their possessions. They are also being encouraged to come 'swim ready' with their swimming trunks or costume on under their clothes, to limit the amount of time spent in the changing rooms.

Showers can be used but hairdryers and hand dryers are currently out of action.

Full details of the new rules and regulations, as well as the limited timetable, can be found on the Flamingo Pool website on on Facebook.

You can also still make a donation to the Flamingo Pool via its [L]https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/flamingo-covidsupport?fbclid=IwAR1qmznQTx47L-Th0t7BpJMHQNq4yR7yS1hUWf4vVLN7m9LYdaAQldZ0zvc[L+]JustGiving page[L].