Clevedon Sailing Club has made the most of lockdown ahead of its planned reopening during the Easter break.

Volunteers gave their time to paint the outside of the two-storey wooden-clad facility and revamp the dated interior decor, which is home to a bar built in the late 1970s.

Club member, Euan Stretch, said: “A lot of work has been carried out on the clubhouse during coronavirus lockdown. It was looking a bit jaded and old fashioned, now it’s had new life breathed into it.

“The refurbished bar and balcony provide one of the most stunning views in Clevedon.

“In happier, non-Covid times, dodging sailors rigging their dinghies on the prom and hearing the blast of an air-horn signalling the start of racing was a regular feature of life in the town.

“In the past few decades, the club has produced many national champions both at junior and adult level.

“We are keen to return to normal life, welcome new members and have the chance to take to the waves again.”

The club is keen to welcome more people through its doors when coronavirus restrictions permit and the group currently has 136 members, as well as 30 cadet sailors aged between nine and 16 and is also registered as an official RYA training centre.

Commodore, Trevor Baker, said: “We hope to welcome new social and sailing club members again as we start to return to a new normal.

“We are a volunteer-run club and can offer training and youngsters a chance to join our cadet section.”

The concept of Clevedon Sailing Club was originally formed in 1947, during a conversation among a small group of sailing enthusiasts at what was then the Royal Pier Hotel.

The clubhouse was finally built in 1960 following years of fighting to get the plans approved.

Ian Hotchkiss, whose family’s association with the club spans more than 70 years, said: “Clevedon has always been a friendly club with a strong emphasis on the social side.

“While other clubs are perhaps more racing-orientated, we have always prided ourselves on our social side and in our cadet section.”