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Bon Accord Heritage is inviting the Aberdeen public to an open weekend at the historic listed building.

The open weekend will be held from 10am until 4pm on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 June.

Visitors will be able to view the famous pool hall, as well as tour previously unseen spaces, such as the private bathing area – where locals came to bathe before bathrooms were the norm in the home. The old café in the pool hall will also be accessible which will be turned into a merchandise stall for the event.

A display area focusing on the history of the site, along with the charity’s plan to save the building will be available.

Once again, there will be a number of social distancing measures in place to make sure the area is Covid-19 secure.

They include 2m distancing and members of the public being asked to wear face coverings when inside the building and to sanitise their hands upon entry.

Limited numbers will be allowed in the building at any one time, and we ask that members of the public spread visits over the two days and attend at quieter times if possible.

If any members of the public have additional support needs and would like to visit please contact info@bonaccordbaths.org.uk to discuss support requirements.

We launched our fundraising campaign to Save Bon Accord Baths at our Open Days last weekend. The first phase of fundraising will focus on making the building wind and water tight to make sure it will last another 25 Aberdeen winters. There are challenges with water ingress and foliage on the roof which puts it at risk, coupled with damage over the years.

If you can donate or would like to support, please go to our Donate page – the link is at the top of the page. We are accepting donations through PayPal Giving or GoFundMe. If you have any questions or queries, please reach out to us by email: info@bonaccordbaths.org.uk.

Details regarding our event update…

Bon Accord Heritage invites the Aberdeen public to an open day at the historic listed Bon Accord Baths to celebrate the 80th birthday of its opening.

Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th September from 10:00 – 16:00

Come and see a view of your beloved baths eighty years on from its official opening. There will be an area focusing on the history of the baths, our project to save the building and its future plans. In addition, you will be able to view the spectacular pool hall and the results of the cleanup project which has been ongoing over the past couple of weeks with help from local businesses.

This weekend also marks the launch of a vital fundraising campaign for essential work required to the building. Bringing back the pool for community use is our long-term aspiration, however this historic art-deco building requires more immediate work to stabilise its condition against further Aberdeen winters. This in turn will allow us to open more areas of the building for community activities and events.

** COVID IMPACT AND SOCIAL DISTANCING MEASURES **

• 2m distancing will be in place
• Members of the public are asked to wear a face covering when inside the building and sanitise their hands upon entry
• Limited numbers will be allowed inside the building at any one time and the Trust asks that members of the public spread visits over the two days, attending at quieter times if possible, to ensure that social distancing measures can be fully maintained. When queuing, we ask that the public maintain the 2m distancing.

If any members of the public have additional support needs and would like to visit please contact us at info@bonaccordbaths.org.uk to discuss support requirements.

Massive thanks goes out to Johnston Auto Valet And Powerwashing Services – Lee worked incredibly hard supporting us with challenging graffiti removal in the absence of power or running water, he had everything he needed in the back of his van. We really appreciate his help!

Without this type of support, we couldn’t move closer to welcoming you all back inside! 🙂

Our board and volunteers have spent another busy Saturday tidying up the Baths – we hope the front doors now look a bit more like their old selves, and we’ve been working away inside ahead of an important birthday for the Baths tomorrow.

Some of our board members have been hard at work clearing and cleaning public areas of the baths this weekend – there’s still work to do, but we hope to finally welcome through the doors for an open day in the near future. It would be fantastic to let you meet the team, hear about what we’ve been doing and share our vision with you!

Whilst we’re working hard at longer term plans to save and restore this iconic Art Deco building for future generations, and whilst we believe that this is possible, we unfortunately are faced with the challenge of water ingress which has the potential to impact on the baths building.

Blocked rainwater goods have resulted in some areas being impacted over time and although the building is in good structural shape, we are concerned about recent water ingress to the pool hall as displayed in the picture attached.

We’d be delighted to hear from anybody who may be able to help us in surveying the issues concerned, or supporting us in carrying out necessary work to stabilise the issue. This would be a significant help to our project and help prevent further deterioration whilst plans progress to restore the baths building.

Please contact us at info@bonaccordbaths.org.uk if you feel that you could help in any way.

We have updated the Meet the Team page with some information about the current trustees of Bon Accord Heritage, and the volunteer form has been opened up to allow us to collate information ahead of activity when Scotland has got through COVID-19. The form can also be accessed here: forms.gle/FVGP1EupuYVE5iWD7