Small Pool. Big Heart: the story behind Brighton Swimming Centre’s comeback
Brighton Swimming Centre (BSC) is an independent indoor 20m heated swimming pool, that has been teaching generations of local residents to swim for nearly 50 years.
But outside of East Brighton, many don’t know it exists.
With increasing pressure on family-friendly swimming facilities, and many closing locally, teaching swimming and water safety for all ages is becoming more important than ever.
At the beginning of 2026, Brighton Swimming Centre also found itself facing urgent building repairs, including damage to a front wall and a leaking roof.
Brighton Swimming Centre
The challenge
How do you raise funds to protect a pool's future, when only a small local community knows it exists?
The opportunity
A city-wide campaign to raise awareness and to showcase that Brighton Swimming Centre is more than just a pool, it’s a vital community destination at risk.
“A city by the sea has a responsibility to keep people safe and confident in the water, without support, the impact could be significant.”
Our approach
Being a community-focussed destination, we wanted the heart of the campaign to be the voice of the community. Swimmers, families and instructors, sharing why the centre has changed their lives.
“For generations, this is where it all begins. First splashes, first strokes and lifelong confidence in the water.”
The Community
We asked regulars what BSC means to them? Within 48 hours we had almost 50 heartwarming responses from all ages, under 5s to over 80, describing how the centre has taught them valuable life skills, built their water confidence, and helped them achieve their personal swimming goals while making great friends along the way.
The Campaign
Keep Brighton Swimming.
We gave BSC a new strong, consistent and recognisable identity across every touchpoint. Delivering a bold new colour palette, fonts, design assets, digital templates, and a compelling end frame that carries their charming identity forward: "Small Pool, Big Heart."
Short Films
We turned community stories and the crowdfunder appeal, into a regular drumbeat of short films, sharing real swimmer and staff stories, and what makes the centre so special.
Amplification
The ‘Keep Brighton Swimming’ campaign secured local press and TV coverage from The Argus, BBC Sussex, South East News Today, BTN on the Inside, What's On Sussex and Family Grapevine. BSC’s new brand activity also landed a BBC South East radio prime time breakfast slot, alongside interviews on ITV news and BBC South East Today, while attracting new local partnership collaborations along the way.
The Results | 6 weeks activity
The “Keep Brighton Swimming” campaign successfully attracted attention, as evidenced by the success of the local and national PR coverage secured. This increased new social media engagement and followers, and drew new interest from local businesses and individuals, resulting in increased pledges of support, from the local community.
