Comradeship and Health Benefits for Physio Pool Regulars

For a keen group of regulars the Physio Pool is a place where they can enjoy all the health benefits and a place they can socialise. Some have been using it for decades including Mark Baxter, Stephen Facer and his brother Allan Facer. They all enjoy seeing the mixture of people using the pool and the chance to catch up with the regulars. Stephen first visited the pool while recovering from knee surgery, but had continued since realising it was open to the public, and not just for patients. Allan was facing knee surgery, but since swimming at the Physio Pool his knee has been fine, an example of pressure being taken off the health service by the pool’s continued existence. Mark said the social side of the experience made the fitness work “easier”. ”I bump into people here I haven’t seen for many years … then there’s the bunch of regulars who I wouldn’t probably recognise if they had clothes on,” he said.

The Southern Trust has given a sizeable grant of $10,000 and is very supportive of the project to keep the Physio Pool open. The total raised is now more than $711,000, almost halfway towards the goal of $1.5 million to save the pool.

Otago Therapeutic Pool regulars (from left) Mark Baxter and twins Stephen and Allan Facer chat between lengths this week. Photo by Linda Robertson.

Read the full ODT article here