A “GODSENT” facility for the infirm has barely raised five per cent of the cash it needs to struggle on. Neil Montgomery, manager of the Thamesdown Hydrotherapy pool, which is visited by around 700 people a week, said it is at crisis point because of its dire state of repair.
It launched a campaign at the start of September to raise £135,000 but despite warnings that it may have to halve services in as little as six months’ time, progress has been sluggish. They have tried swimathons and guess-the-weight-of-the-cake events, but this has only raised £6,700, or 4.9 per cent per cent of the total needed.
At that rate, it would take more than 18 months to raise all the cash to replace its defunct ventilation system and repair two of the four changing rooms. “I was quite confident when we started off with it. But as time has gone on, that does diminish,” said Neil.
“If we get to stage one, it’s £30,000 to £50,000 for the ventilation for the changing rooms. We’re definitely going to do the ventilation system. “We’re not all doom and gloom. I try not to get too down about it.”
The pool, in Jefferies Avenue, opened in 1979, and differs from a normal swimming pool because its several degrees warmer. The reason is because many of its users are unable to move around as freely or as vigorously as more able-bodied swimmers, and may get cold.
The humidity is also a stifling 90 per cent at the moment because of the poor ventilation. Parts of the building are also getting waterlogged, and an electrician working on the wiring even reported that his hands were getting wet.
Neil said that they could keep going as they are for another six months, but since the pool is in constant use, if they have to close half of their changing rooms then it will affect their income. Long-term this would jeopardize the whole pool.
Dominic McNamara, of the Swindon branch of the National Ankylosing Spondylitis Society, said they would be in real trouble if they did not have access to such a valuable facility.
The 65-year-old, of Inverary Road, Wroughton, suffers chronically from the rheumatic-like condition and uses the pool with a group of 17 others every fortnight. “It’s deteriorating. They’re in dire straits, really. They have to do it – there’s no alternative. The pool is a Godsend to us,” he said.
“For me the biggest thing you can do is exercise and the hydrotherapy pool, because you’re supported in your weight and movements, is absolutely paramount in the exercise regime. “If we don’t get the money raised we could end up losing out big time.”