A Christmas fundraiser was held on Saturday December 9 to raise money for a new hydrotherapy rehabilitation centre in South London.
The fundraiser, held by Croydon Therapy Clinic on behalf of hydrotherapy charity Continuing Community Care, had 70 attendees and raised £1400 through donations and a raffle.
The money raised will be put towards a new hydrotherapy and physiotherapy rehabilitation centre in Croydon to help people living with long-term conditions and chronic illnesses.
Paul Carr, director of Croydon Therapy Clinic said: “It was a really great evening, enjoyed by everybody and we raised a great amount.”
Carr hopes that the new rehabilitation centre will be up and running by 2025, but the charity is still looking for funding and location.
Continuing Community Care is hoping to raise the money needed through fundraisers like the one held last week, and a National Lottery grant, for which it has made an application.
The charity is also looking at both independent property developers, and the Croydon Council asset disposal list for plots.
Croydon Therapy Clinic was set up by Carr in 2003 to provide treatment for the community, beyond the services provided by the NHS.
Hydrotherapy is a type of physiotherapy where exercises take place in a specially-built pool at a temperature between 35.5 and 37 degrees Celsius.
The water’s buoyancy relieves pressure on joints as it supports body weight, and the temperature causes muscles to relax making exercise easier.
The NHS offers six weeks of treatment of hydrotherapy and physiotherapy for people post operation or injury.
However, Carr noted that many of his clients that required hydrotherapy services needed it for longer periods of time.
His longest client has been coming to him for weekly hydrotherapy for 19 years.
Croydon Therapy Clinic provides longer-term services for people with lasting conditions or chronic illnesses.
Whilst the clinic has been active since 2003, the Continuing Community Care charity was formed in July of this year, with the goal of developing a health facility, complete with a hydrotherapy pool in Croydon.
Research from Croydon Health Services indicates that 23% of residents living in the borough suffer from two or more long term conditions.
Carr believes that developing this new hydrotherapy centre would serve the community.
He said: “Most of my clients believe that if they were not coming every week to hydrotherapy, they would be back in hospital due to their conditions.
“My goal with the new rehabilitation centre is to keep them off the NHS waiting lists, keep them out of hospital, and give people their independence.”
Continuing Community Care will have further fundraising events next year, including a quiz night and craft fair.
Donations towards the new rehabilitation centre can be made here.
All images credited to Paul Carr.
