Wivey Pool is a step closer to reaching its 100th birthday after transitioning to renewable energy.

The historic gas heated pool was hit hard by the energy crisis which saw running costs spiral.

The pool's trustees set an ambitious fundraising goal of £100,000 to pay to heat the pool using a solar array and a heat pump.

The Chair of Wivey Pool, Liz Hurry, said: "Gas and electricity prices had tripled and there was no way that our pool (and many others) could sustain the massively increased costs.

"The only way forward was to invest in green technology. We had to increase our use of solar panels to generate more electricity and use this to power air source heating equipment to reduce or eliminate the cost of heating the pool water with gas.

"Pool users and members of our community generally will know that we had to raise around £100,000 to do all this, and we had to do it quickly."

The local community stepped up to help raise the funds, with donations ranging from £5 to £10,000, including a recent contribution of £1000 from the Wiveliscombe Rotary Club.

Ms Hurry said: "Vast amounts of voluntary (and paid) hours were ploughed into getting the pool ready for switch-on and we just needed National Grid to hook us up to 3-phase electricity. The Air Source Heat Pump went into service on the longest day of the year, June 21, and that signalled our changeover to sustainable solar power.

"We want to say a huge thank-you to everyone who has been involved in this project. We couldn’t have done it without you. You have helped to make WiveyPool one of the most sustainable community pools in the UK and to ensure we will celebrate our 100th birthday."