Hope House Children's Hospices, based near Oswestry in Shropshire, provide residential and respite care for children up to the age of 18 with various degenerative conditions.

With financial support from Sport England, facilitated by Energize Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, along with other funders and infrastructure support from local organisations, Hope House has recently been able to re-open its hydrotherapy pool after refurbishment. This has enabled the charity to support some of its 260 service users to re-gain the physical and mental health benefits of spending time in the pool.  

Hope House was granted funding by Sport England to cover the cost of new stimulating equipment to use within the pool to increase the physical benefit and enjoyment of the hydrotherapy environment. This included equipment such as games to encourage play, learning and sensory activities, along with equipment to support buoyancy of the children and young people whilst using the pool with physiotherapists, carers and family members.

Rachel Lewis at Hope House has said:

“The equipment so kindly funded helps children to have fun in the hydrotherapy pool, which is especially important for children who may feel nervous about swimming, for siblings and families playing together and for families returning to the pool for the first time since the Covid pandemic."

Items like aqua bands, pool stands and support rings allow more children with mobility difficulties to safely and comfortably access the pool. The equipment is especially useful for physiotherapy, which can really help children with sore muscles or stiff joints and can help children to fully relax in the water in a way that isn't possible in their wheelchairs.

“Everyone at Energize has been incredibly helpful and supportive. They have made the whole process of applying for funding very easy and we’re so grateful.”

Photographs have been supplied by Hope House.

The hydrotherapy pool was officially re-opened in November 2022. Harry Cade, Head of Performance & Learning at Energize STW, is pictured at the opening (in the middle of the third row from the front.)