HOPES for a new swimming pool in Guisborough have been given a double boost this week.

A campaign for a new pool was launched and a steering group set up following concerns that existing facilities were run down and out-of-date.

At a meeting this week, Lord Gisborough, who owns much of the land in the area, said he was prepared to consider using a plot of land behind the rugby club and Post Office depot for the project.

Stephen Whitehead, joint chairman of the Guisborough Market Towns Initiative - which hopes to bring thousands of pounds of regeneration money into the town - said the group might be able to contribute to an independent feasibility study into a new pool.

The project is also being supported by Laurence Jackson School, which is bidding to be awarded specialist sports college status.

Headteacher Chris Lord told the meeting that many parents of incoming pupils had asked him about the proposals for a new pool and how that could be integrated into the school's curriculum.

Rob Vincent-Jones, who presided over the meeting in the absence of chairman, Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP Ashok Kumar, said: "What has become obvious is that we need to be doing a substantial feasibility study on the ramifications of building a new swimming pool.

"We need to raise the money to do this because it could cost up to £16,000. It is going to take some time to raise this money but we can't make serious progress until we have this study.

"It isn't going to happen overnight but there is a lot of enthusiasm for this project - people are coming to the meetings and want to see progress. There is a lot of enthusiasm among the townsfolk.