The campaign to raise money to help secure the opening of Portishead's open-air pool this summer has reached nearly £6,000.

Members of the Save The Open-air Pool (STOP) campaign, backed by the Post, launched the Give a Pound for the Pool drive earlier this month to try to raise £20,000 towards the costs of getting the seafront lido open this season.

The Portishead Open Air Pool Community Trust was set up as a result of the STOP campaign to take over the running of the pool from North Somerset Council, which had recommended its closure because of expensive running costs.

Collection boxes have been delivered throughout the town and people have been popping in their pound coins over the past fortnight.

Cheques, cash and pledges of financial support have been pouring in from around the town and Bristol area to campaign headquarters.

A Pound on the Prom event, held last weekend, saw scores of people, including children with their money boxes, turn out to lay their cash along town's seafront. The 100-metre trail of coins laid along the prom boosted the fund by a further £300.

STOP campaign leader Roger Whitfield said he was delighted at the response to the appeal so far – and thanked people for their generosity.

Mr Whitfield said: "The response to the appeal has been amazing and the appeal has got off to a flying start. In the collection box in my shop alone, people have donated more than £100 in the last two weeks.

"Not all the collection boxes have yet been collected in, so we do expect the total to rise. We have also received a lot of cheques through the post and people have been coming in and handing over donations.

"People have been so generous and we want to thank them, but at the same time need to stress that every penny counts and we are still short of our target and we need those who support us to dig deep.

"Every penny raised will go towards getting the pool open this summer and we will be continuing to fundraise right up until the pool opens in May and beyond."

The pool trust submitted its 50-page business plan for the proposed takeover of the pool to North Somerset Council earlier this week.

A meeting between trustees and the council leaders is planned to discuss the proposals and a decision on the pool's future is expected next month.

Collection boxes can be found at Nortech Computers, Larsen's Cafe, Portishead Business Centre, Morgan Westley, Larsen's Cafe, Bella Natura, Bennett's Barber Shop, Juicy Jones, Mother Nature, Hayley's Hair Studio, Portishead Pet and Garden Centre, The Outlet, McCormicks Cafe and Restaurant, Super Savers, Zebra and Carey's DIY, all of which are on the High Street. Collection tins are also at Robert John Hairdressers at Cabstand and Mark's Barbers at West Hill.

Anyone wanting to make a donation can also send a cheque or postal order made payable to Portishead Pool Community Trust, to Nortech Computers, 10 High Street, Portishead, BS20 6EW.

If the council rejects trust's proposal and closes the pool, all money collected from the campaign will be donated to community projects in Portishead.