Work will start next week on installing a new roof at Sandgate Hydrotherapy Pool in Kendal – the latest in a series of improvements to the pool.
The £230,000 project will see the pool’s old fibreglass roof replaced with a new insulated flat roof which will provide glare-free natural lighting to the pool area. A mix of Solar and PV panels will also be fitted to the new roof.
The combination of a more thermally efficient roof and solar electricity generation will help reduce the carbon footprint of the hydrotherapy pool as well as reducing the ongoing running costs.
Roof installation work will start on Monday 21 October and is expected to take approximately six weeks to complete. Pinington Ltd has been appointed as the main contractor for the project. The pool is now closed so the works can commence and will re-open in early January 2020.
Funding for the new roof has been raised by the South Lakeland Hydrotherapy Trust, and the project is being managed by Cumbria County Council, which owns and jointly operates the pool with the Trust.
Sandgate Hydrotherapy Pool has around 450 individual user sessions each week – more than 20,000 individual visits to the pool per year.
Colin Ranshaw, Chair of South Lakeland Hydrotherapy Trust (SLHT), said: “This exciting project is the final phase of the recommendations of an Energy Assessment Survey (March 2016) funded by Cumbria Action for Sustainability. This final phase was originally to install Solar and PV Panels on the roof, but the 40-year-old roof which is in a poor state and is not energy efficient could not support them. The project escalated to a £230K project replacing the roof and installing the panels. SLHT raised sufficient funds from many individuals, the ‘Friends of the Pool’ with coffee mornings, raffles, Bingo etc and many other events along with major charitable funders. This is a real partnership of CCC supporting and helping deliver the project along with SLHT and the community raising the funding all working together to keep this valuable and valued Health resource.”
Dan Hinton, Headteacher of Sandgate School, said: “We are regular users of the hydrotherapy pool, with around 40 of our 95 students using it every week. The ability to swim is, of course, an important life skill and many of our students also benefit a great deal from the sensation of being and moving in water. So we’re delighted that the pool is getting a new roof, and we’re looking forward to being some of the first swimmers in there when it re-opens after the refurbishment.”
Cllr Deborah Earl, Cumbria County Council Cabinet Member of Public Health and Community Services, said: “I’m delighted work is starting on a new roof for Sandgate Hydrotherapy Pool. This development has been a few years in the making, with the South Lakeland Hydrotherapy Trust raising the required funding of around £230,000 to deliver the project, a fabulous effort by a small charity!”
Cllr Nick Cotton, Chair of South Lakeland Local Committee, Cumbria County Council, said: “Sandgate Hydrotherapy Pool provides a range of services which make a real difference to the lives of people of all ages in South Cumbria. The pool has undergone a series of improvements in recent years, all funded by the Trust, and this project is the final piece of the jigsaw in terms of future proofing the pool.”
Sandgate Hydrotherapy Pool was built in 1977 through donations received through public subscription for the children and adults in the community who have mental and physical health problems. The fund-raising was led by members of Westmorland Mencap, who have continued their support for the Pool ever since, more latterly through the Trustees of South Lakeland Hydrotherapy Trust.
There have been a number of recent improvements to Sandgate Hydrotherapy Pool, all geared towards improving the energy efficiency of the building. These have included the installation of new boilers, new air handling units, and new doors and windows. The majority of these improvements have been funded by South Lakeland Hydrotherapy Trust.
Sandgate Hydrotherapy Pool offers a unique service to the population of Cumbria, the benefits of hydrotherapy have been well known for many years. The Pool offers these benefits to swimmers and non-swimmers alike in a supportive, non-competitive environment that affords privacy. Key benefits for Pool users include the ability to:
- Move more easily
- Relax your body
- Regain fitness following an operation or accident
- Ease pain
- Perform gentle all body exercises
- Improve circulation and breathing
- Build self confidence
