News Letter

A quarterly Newsletter produced and edited by the Thamesdown Hydrotherapy Pool Association

Issue No. 58 : December 2011. Thamesdown Hydrotherapy Pool Association Reg. Charity No. 267687

The Appeal was launched on 1 September 2011 with an outside broadcast by BBC Wiltshire Sound, this was followed up the next day with a full page article in the local evening paper. The latest issue of the Pool Associations quarterly newsletter covered the Appeal in great detail. This is sent to over 50 local companies in the Swindon area and more than 1000 pool users/supervisors/carers were given copies. The positive feed back has been most encouraging.

To date 48 letters seeking funding, or application forms if they have a web site, have been sent to grant giving Charitable Trusts/Foundations, plus the Big Lottery Fund.

Letters also requesting support for the appeal have also been sent to 12 local companies.

The good news is that thirteen of the Charitable Trusts/Foundations have put our application forward to the next meeting of their Grants Committee, nearly all in December or January. Should we be successful in all applications for the amount we have requested then the Pool Association would receive £65,000. The bad news is that we have been refused by two for having to much money in the bank. Also the Big Lottery Fund turned us down because they believe, from our application, that only the pool would benefit from the project, not the pool users. However, after discussing it with them we can reapply in January.

The Friends of the Pool started the appeal rolling with a donation of £5,000 with a further £5,000 promised in the New Year. We have also received a number of small donations totalling over £2,000 from pool users. Sainsbury’s Brunel Plaza store and a Freemasons Lodge have nominated us as their charity for the year.

Since the appeal was launched we have been asked several times “why are you appealing for money when you have a large bank balance”. At the end our last financial year 2010/2011 the Pool Association bank balance stood at £191,439, £50,000 of resort closure emergency. That may sound as if the pool is cash rich but without a healthy bank balance the pool would be unable to continue operating.

Annual expenditure last financial year was £150,815 against £119,884 income. The estimated cost for the ventilation project is £118,689. Therefore taking into account the restricted funds, if the pool paid for the project in total we would be left with a bank balance of just £22,750 which would not be enough to meet any future income/expenditure shortfall.

The Pool Association has weighed all the options and the only sensible way forward was to launch the Appeal. Bearing in mind funding for the : new changing rooms and all their associated equipment; the hot spa; the extended car park; the security fence and the CCTV equipment were all raised from appeals.

However the Pool Association does listen to the comments and advise from pool users and after careful consideration for all the fund raising suggestions that have been put forward its was agreed at the last committee meeting that an increase to pool admission fees from 1 January 2012 – see separate item for the new charges.

The ideal situation would be to raise all the monies and get the pool back to its normal operating environment as quickly as possible.

Should only enough money be raised to replace the pool area ventilation system then changing room ceiling and that area ventilation system would have to wait until funds become available. This would cause further deterioration to the ceiling which could render them unsafe for use. Subsequently therapy sessions would then have to be cancelled due to the loss of changing facilities.

The worst case scenario would be that we are unable to raise adequate funds to start the project

In this situation the pool could not operate once the summer heat arrives, combined with the then very high temperature and humidity already in the building would cause breathing problems for many pool users, plus unacceptable working conditions. This would lead to closing during the summer months with a loss of revenue and customers which would be hard case to regain their confidence once the pool reopened. This situation could inevitably lead to the full time closure of the facility.

For various reasons the Friends of Thamesdown Hydrotherapy Pool had to bring forward the date of the annual Christmas bazaar to the end of October so we could hold it in our preferred location at St Barnabus Church Hall in Gorse Hill. It was with not a little trepidation that we set up on the last Saturday of the month not sure what kind of turn out we would get, had we made a mistake going so early. Well we needn’t of worried the weather was set fair and our supporters turned out in their droves and made it a cracking event, so much so we had three stalls sold out by 11-30am. The day managed to raise £966 not bad in one and a half hours, I wouldn’t mind a job at that rate of pay!

Thank you everyone who supported us on the day and donated prizes and goods for the various stalls without you it would not have been possible. Thanks also to all the Friends committee members and their families and friends who set up the stalls, transported the items, pool staff who joined in and manned the stalls for the morning. As always the cakes went quickly, eyes lit up with a guaranteed prize beautifully wrapped on the Christmas Tree stall. The Tombola quaked under the number of prizes on offer. As soon as the hall was tidied up the key was returned with a request for the same Saturday next year please.

So far this year via the money raised by the Friends we have managed to part fund the new hoist in the Spa room, supply a stand by shower pump and start the Emergency Ventilation Appeal off with a £5,000 donation, the total given to the Association for specific projects is £6,516 with more yet to come. In December Friends renewal notices will be going out so don’t forget to renew your membership, it only costs three pounds or ten pounds for a family, group or company, and if you are not a member yet join us and help us build on the growing list of equipment and donations that the Friends have made over the years.

It is regrettable in these austere times that the Pool Association has had to increase admission fees for the second year running. The pools expenditure on gas, electricity, chemicals and water which are the essential energy components that the pool relies on for successful functioning have continued on an upward spiral. However there is another element in the equation this time that is utmost in the Pool Associations mind – the Emergency Ventilation Appeal.

In our efforts to raise the £118,689 for the appeal we have to demonstrate to the Charitable Trusts/Foundations and other institutions who we approach for funding that the Pool Association is doing its part to raise additional income. Should the situation arise where the pool has to contribute towards a shortfall in the fund raising then the increase in admission fees will go some way to ensure the pool can remain viable without dipping deep into our reserves.

The Pool Association Trustees and Committee after serious consideration of all avenues felt it was too much of a financial burden to try and absorb this possible additional expenditure. Therefore we had no option but to increase the pool admission charge. Future admission charges per session (a session relates up to 45 minutes pool time, any additional time will be changed accordingly) as from the 1st January 2012 are:

The Pool Association make no apologies for increasing admission charges as the pool can only survive from a sound financial base.

We are holding a Christmas Raffle at the pool only 50p a square, very exciting. As well as this we are doing a collection box competition to see who can raise the largest amount of money in a certain time period i.e. over Christmas when you have people visiting the you, rattle that box at them. But only in your own home as we are not allowed to rattle them out side its against the Law!!!! - without permission. We are hoping that this will encourage you or anyone else to keep or to take a box and be responsible for it in you local shop, hairdressers or even pub! Just ask if you would like some more info on this.

This article was published in the last newsletter, discussed on Wiltshire Sound and mentioned in the Evening Advertiser but we are still getting asked “why is the council not paying for the project”. So lets try again to dispel two long running myths:

1. The pool has been a private registered charity (267687) since 1974 and is run by its Trustees and committee all of whom are unpaid volunteers. We are not part of (and have never been) the old Thamesdown Borough Council, the current Swindon Borough Council or any other local authority.

2. The Hydrotherapy Pool can be found in Jefferies Avenue (behind Crowdrys Hill School) which is just off Cricklade Road. We are not at Milton Road Baths, the Oasis nor any other recreational facility in Swindon.

The pool committee is now back in double figure after an intensive recruitment campaign to find new blood which in turn leads to fresh thinking on the pools capabilities and requirements for the future. We welcome James Woolford; Chris Hooker; Christine Gale; Bridget Berry and Rob Lancaster to the committee. At the pools resent AGM Dave Lancaster decided against re-election and retired from the committee after 27 years. The Pool Trustees thank Dave for his tremendous input over the years and wish him well with his retirement. No its not name association, Rob the new committee member is Dave’s son ensuring that the Lancaster legacy will continue to have an input at the pool. The full committee is:

Being British is about driving in a German car to an Irish pub for a Belgian beer, then travelling home you stop for an Indian curry or a Turkish kebab. Arriving at home to sit on Swedish furniture and watch an American show on a Japanese TV.

7. Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.

The guess the weight of the Christmas cake went down very well, ha ha, no really we raised £58 and it was won by Mrs Marsh who guessed nearest at 9lb 2oz and it was in fact 9lb 3oz.

The Swimathon was a great success this year with a lot of people taking the plunge. A big thank you to Jan who organises it, all the people who counted lengths for us and generally help out because with their support the event couldn't happen. We are looking on target to raise between £3,500 and £4,000 which is a great amount. Our biggest sponsor donation to date is Gareth Berridge who has raise a mammoth amount of over £800. Well done and thank you Gareth. We also had a potential Olympic Swimmer come down and took part for us Grant Turner and he managed to swim over 100 lengths in 20 minutes He had a nice article in the local press for us to. He's defiantly one to watch out for 2012 and especially because he's a local lad.

Apologies to Frankie Howard but the pool can now twitter along with the best of them. Rob Lancaster wasted on time at all in getting the pools name in lights, so to speak. The pool now has its own twitter account at @_Hydro_Pool, so get twitting and see who’s talking about us.

On another bright note, while we’re on the internet, we have a web designer who hopefully is going to look at our web site with the view to improvements.

They give unconditional love and undying loyalty in return for regular meals and an occasional pat on the head.

With our Ventilation Appeal under way we have had a few people hold stalls for us at different events selling things from Christmas decorations to hand made cards. Don’t forget this generous activity can continue into the New Year as work on the project is not due to start until March at the earliest. The Pool Association is very grateful for all the support it is getting from pool users, keep up the good work.

Just to give you some advance warnings the Christmas quiz which will be available at a £1-00 a sheet in December it is all about the “60s” can you help by taking some sheets to sell? The winner gets £25 worth vouchers. On Saturday 11^th February our popular quiz night returns to Lawn Community Centre teams of 4-6 people bring along your own drinks and have a fun night out. Watch out for the posters in the New Year telling you how to book a table or email Janetfoz@hotmail.co.uk During the coming year we will be having a fashion show at the Winners Lounge at the County Ground on 26^th April tickets £4 each more details closer to the event, also a live music, bar-b-cue event and we are working on several other projects. I would like to thank the committee of the “Friends” and pool staff for all their hard work over the past year. Finally I would like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a Peaceful New Year.

The last thing I want to say is now the cold and wet weather is here finally after a prolonged period of mildness which I did enjoy by the way, please still come down to the pool to continue your therapy because in winter people are less mobile and active so a trip to the pool can be enough to keep you moving through these dark winter months.

Just remember its not what you eat between Christmas and New Year you have to watch its what you eat between New Year and Christmas where you have to be careful, so you can all go and be merry.

I almost forgot, a big well done to all the runners who ran the Swindon Half Marathon for us, a great effort.

On behalf of the Jan, Hannah, Eddie and Myself (Neil) we want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

It also goes without saying, the Pool Trustees and committee would like to thank all of you for your support over the last year and to wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year.

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