The pool, being built next to the Stadium of Light, should be finished by next spring and city officials are planning a party to mark the opening of the only Olympic-sized pool between Edinburgh and Leeds.

The £19.8million Aquatic Centre boasts a 50-metre pool and an attached Wellness Centre to help combat obesity and unhealthy living.

To mark its launch, Sunderland City Council will host a celebratory festival and has already secured £90,000 from Culture 10, which helps to support regional festivals.

The council has also pledged up to £50,000 towards the festival.
At a meeting of the council's Cabinet this week, Coun Mel Speding, portfolio holder for culture and leisure, said: "I am confirming support of our opening festival with a £90,000 contribution from Culture 10.

"This is a high-calibre festival and we want it to be an outstanding event.

"The new Sunderland Aquatic and Wellness Centre will be one of many contemporary landmarks in the new era of icons born in Sunderland.

"Its opening celebrations must therefore capture the imagination of Sunderland citizens and visitors, in a spectacular performance.
"The new building will be used as a stage, the focal point for the event, both internally and externally."

Members of the council's Cabinet also agreed to buy a combined heater and power unit for the pool, costing more than £250,000.

Coun Speding said spending the extra money would, in the long term, save the authority cash as the system uses substantially less energy than conventional heaters.

He said: "This will cost significantly less than others as it is estimated that it will save us £30,000 over the first 10 years."

The centre includes a 25-metre wide main pool with 10 lanes, a moveable floor and moveable beam and a 25-metre wide multi-purpose diving tank with a moveable floor and variety of double width diving boards.

It is also hoped that the pool will be used to train athletes competing in the 2012 Olympics.