Sandgate Hydrotherapy Pool

Sandgate Hydrotherapy Pool
The Pool (which is operated by Cumbria County Council in partnership with SLHT) was originally built by Westmorland Mencap Society for the children of Sandgate Special School but with sessions for community use. Over the years the facility has been increasingly used by adults, with physical health problems and/or mental illness as a means exercising to maintain health or when rehabilitating from injury, or general and orthopaedic surgery.
SLHT has raised charitable funds to keep the Pool sustainable, for example since 2012/13 the Trust invested £190,000 in the Pool Upgrade/ refurbishment of changing facilities and car park extension, 2013/14 £4,700 in a Chlorine Dosing Unit, £40,000 in New Boilers, £10,000 for New Skimmers and £11,000 for replacing the Ultraviolet Light Sterilisation System. The running costs of the Pool are made up of monies from Cumbria County Council, Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group, South Lakeland District Council, Kendal Town Council, Admission Fees and any shortfall is covered by SLHT. Hydrotherapy is for non-swimmers and swimmers and is exercise in a specialised facility (it is NOT swimming nor is this a swimming pool) where the water is significantly warmer than a swimming pool and, most importantly, the surrounding air temperature is also very warm. The water temperature is maintained at 92deg F (34.5deg C).

Increasingly in Demand
The ever increasing popularity and value of hydrotherapy is highlighted by an upsurge in research into many different aspects of water and the physiology of exercise in water. (Margaret Reid Campion, Hydrotherapy, Principles and Practice, 1997) To accommodate this demand, the pool is open 7 days a week and weekday sessions continue until late evening so as to offer greater flexibility and widest possible range of times to accommodate the maximum number of users. There is hoisting equipment to enable disabled people or those of limited mobility to get in and out, and in order to enable evacuation of a patient from the pool in the event of an emergency.

The Benefits
a) The warm water, high air temperature and relief of bodyweight combine to deliver a dramatic relief of pain. For many users this enables them to move and exercise more intensively and teach new movements which can be transferred to their everyday lives.
b) For those with learning or profound and multiple difficulties, this physical environment satisfies and calms their sensory needs. This allows them to use more complex thinking and communication parts of the brain, helped by the multi-sensory equipment in the pool area.
c) Programmes that combine therapeutic and recreational aspects are effective in reducing social isolation, it is fun, and can only have favourable and lasting psychological effects which boost confidence and morale.
d) Hydrotherapy has multiples benefits of relaxation, pain relief, therapeutic exercise, multi-sensory benefits all of which will help in everyday life in the normal environment.

Sandgate Hydrotherapy Pool provides access to around 500 people every week from our local community. We have both individual users and people attending as part of organised groups such as The Blind Society (Sight Advice), Cancer Care, Arthritis Care, Multiple Sclerosis, Breast Care, Stroke Club, Adult Learning and Training Groups, Sandgate School, Whinfell School, Windmill Centre, WOSP (Whinfell Office Skills Project) and referrals from both Primary and Secondary Health Care Sectors.
There is no other available facility in Cumbria and is open to people from all over Cumbria although the majority come from the Kendal area. Hydrotherapy is an effective treatment and maintenance for physical and mental health and wellbeing.

Support funding is always required to maintain the operation of the Pool, to purchase new and to replace equipment and to keep admission prices at an acceptable level.

Specific Funding is required for: -

Alternative Green Energy Saving Systems
The major running cost for the Pool is for the energy required to heat the Pool water and the environment. We have just had new gas boilers fitted which have almost halved the annual gas heating bill. These gas boilers can be compatible with the addition of ‘alternative energy sources’. We are in the process of having surveys undertaken by Cumbria Action for Sustainability and we are expecting the complete report this month. The costs of making the Pool energy efficient and any investment in for example Solar Voltaic Panels will be provided by funds raised by SLHT. It is hoped to reduce the energy consumption costs to zero if possible.

Sandgate Hydrotherapy Pool was opened in 1977 with funding raised by the Local Community led by Mencap. The 40-year anniversary in 2017 is a landmark celebration that will strengthen the facilities we offer.