A school near Dorchester is calling on the community to help save its popular swimming pool.

Broadmayne First School is one of the only schools in the area lucky enough to have a swimming pool, but it is now in desperate need of a £50,000 renovation to repair the pool and its facilities.

The school needs £40,000 for a new building incorporating an on-site toilet with solar panels and £10,000 of repairs to the pool itself and outside seating.

One of Broadmayne’s mottos is ‘every child a swimmer’ as it is the ambition of teachers and parents that no child leaves the school having not learned to swim.

Teacher Natasha Bostock said: “Learning to swim when we live near to the sea is so very important.

“It is one of the most wonderful aspects of being at this school. I have the privilege of helping the children get in to the pool on their first day in Year R, and then a couple of years later I get to see them swimming and playing very confidently in the pool during the after-school swimming sessions.”

The pool was originally opened in the 1970s by special guests Harry Corbett and Sooty.

Pupils at the school swim three times a week during the summer and the pool is open to the community during the holidays.

Jude Baker, member of the Friends at Broadmayne said: “We really need people to log on to the Aviva Community Fund webpage and get voting for Broadmayne First School.

“The swimming pool is such a great asset for our pupils and the local community, but without funding we can’t afford to maintain the pool for much longer. If we don’t make the repairs there is a real risk that the pool will have to close.

“It would mean so much to us for local people to get behind our campaign, check out our Facebook page for more information. Voting ends on 20 November.”

The school has received over 4000 votes but still needs many more to be in with a chance of winning the money.

Links to the school’s Community Fund and Crowdfunding pages are available at www.broadmayne.dorset.sch.uk.