Ellesmere Titans swimming club has started the process of trying to raise funds to build an Olympic-standard 50m pool, according to a club official.

The club, based at Ellesmere College, is an elite swimming club but doesn’t have the full facilities it wants. Mark Hale, who is responsible for legacy projects, says he was asked to put together a business case for raising funds for a 50m pool and that process is now under way.

He said: “We’ve set up a working group – we want to know best how to use funds. We’re a relatively young club and we’ve been using the excellent college facilities, but now it’s time to improve them.

“The club asked me to put together a case to get a 50m pool and we’ve started that process. We’re working closely with Ellesmere College about putting in a 50m pool and seeing how much the college can afford towards it – we’re putting that together.

“The club will be able to provide a portion of the total, which could be close to £8million. I’m very happy to talk to anyone who can help us, or give us support.”

Mr Hale added the club is targeting making Shropshire a hotbed for swimming and a training base should Liverpool or Birmingham host the 2022 Commonwealth Games. It also wants to be a community hub.

He said: “We have to find funding for it. We’re going to speak to Sport England – we want it to be in place for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

“It’s also about what we can do for swimming in Shropshire. They have an elite club but aren’t great at county level.

“We know it’s a good thing for Ellesmere to a have a community club but we don’t want that to be the only club in Shropshire. We want to know how to help facilities for kids in the county.”

To help Ellesmere Titans with funding, email Mr Hale at mjw.hale@gmail.com