A theatre company will tell the eventful story of Ilkley Lido when a new play arrives in west Yorkshire later this month.

Listed Theatre will visit four lidos around the country to perform their play, Listed Lido, which is individually tailored to suit each separate pool.

The play will be based on true stories surrounding the lido at Ilkley during its existence when it arrives later this month with performances in Peterborough, Ipswich and Tooting Bec in London also scheduled.

Listed Theatre will be slipping into swimsuits from all eras this summer, to tell you about the escapades, glories and more recent closures of lido’s throughout Britain in their new work, Listed Lido.

From the blitz to the bikini, Listed Lido is based on the true stories surrounding the legacy of the stunning art-deco public pools and the swimmers who use them. Listed Theatre’s site-specific romp, through the thrills and chills of England’s lidos, dives off when a group of petty criminals are assigned community service in an outdoor swimming pool.

The offenders’ hard work pays off as they discover the real life stories of love, loss, and freedom that these magnificent pools have offered Britons since they were built.

Premiering at the magnificent Peterborough Lido during the Peterborough Festival, Listed Lido will tour to Crown Pools in Ipswich, Tooting Bec Lido and wrap up the run at the stunning Ilkley Lido in North Yorkshire, throughout June and July.

Jessica Manley, producer of Listed Lido, said: “In April 2009 Listed Theatre began work to develop a performance piece, exploring and celebrating the history of Broomhill Pool, a derelict lido in Ipswich, Suffolk and the current campaign to save it. Out of this work grew a research project which led us to discover the rich legacy of lidos nationwide.

We collected fascinating stories about how these lidos remained open during the blitz, were witness to the first ever bikinis, saw generations of teenagers showing off on the diving boards (now banned due to new health and safety regulations!) and trained swimmers to cross the channel.

It is this cross section of society that Listed Lido brings to life, whilst documenting the battles to save our beloved lidos, which are currently raging across the country. It is so important that we save these lido's which are valuable urban oases, fusing the ideals of democracy with inspiring architecture.”