A CAMPAIGN to create 'Wharfedale’s greatest leisure facility' will throw its doors open to the public this weekend.

The Friends of Otley Lido is aiming to open a heated, open-air swimming pool with a retractable roof on the site of the town's former lido in Wharfemeadows Park.

The group has tidied and boarded up the plot since entering an exclusivity agreement with Leeds City Council in 2016 to draw up redevelopment plans.

They have also enlisted architects to create concept designs and are busy raising funds for the £55,000 needed to move the project forward.

MP Alex Sobel (Lab, Leeds North West) and local councillors will be among the guests attending a sold-out, ticketed portion of an open day at the site between 2pm and 3pm on Saturday, August 4.

The event, featuring presentations and talks by the Friends and their team of specialists - including commercial partners - about the restoration, will then open to everyone from 3pm.

Chair of the Friends of Otley Lido, Leonie Sharp, said: "We have decided to open up the site so people can meet us and the team of specialist firms behind us who are making this happen.

"We believe this will really allow people to see how our vision is achievable, and what a fantastic community asset it will be once restored.

"When you come behind the scenes you can really see the scope of the site. It is so much larger than what you see on the outside."

Originally opened in 1924, the lido was run as an outdoor swimming venue for decades before it was eventually closed and filled in back in 1993.

Later, the site was briefly used as an outdoor fun fair until that business also closed and it has been left derelict since.

The Friends (a team of volunteers that formed a Community Interest Company) will be inviting anyone who comes along on Saturday to discuss its ideas and provide feedback.

Leonie added: "It's all shaping up to be a brilliant day.

"When we listed the tickets they were snapped up within 48 hours.

"We are delighted with the interest that we have from those who, like us, just want this to happen.

"To restore the Lido as a facility to be held by the community for hundreds of years to come really is just a question of funding and planning.

"We have worked hard to get us to this point. We are well on the way to raise the funds we need to get us to planning phase, and now is the time to share this with the community.

"Our motto is to 'Make a Big Splash' and we are well on our way."

*More details are available on the Friends of Otley Lido Facebook page.