A COMMUNITY campaign group is celebrating a decision by Cornwall Council to provide up to £200,000 to reopen a public hydrotherapy pool at St Austell Leisure Centre.

The Friends of Polkyth Hydrotherapy Pool have been campaigning to get the facility reopened as they stated that there are no other public hydrotherapy pools available for use in Cornwall.

The pool at the former Polkyth Leisure Centre has been closed for several years after leisure centre operators GLL said that it was no longer financially viable. Whilst there are hydrotherapy pools at the Merlin Centre in Hewas Water and at Royal Cornwall Hospital, these are only available by appointment or medical referral.

Campaigners said that people with disabilities and medical conditions were unable to get the therapy they needed due to the lack of a public hydrotherapy pool.

Last year the group commissioned a public survey to show the strength of support for getting the pool reopened and almost 650 people responded, with the majority in favour of the move.

Respondents who had previously used the St Austell pool said that it had not only helped them with physical therapy but also aided their mental health and provided benefits of social interaction.

One of the respondents who previously used the pool said: “I supported young people with profound and multiple learning disabilities to access the pool. The majority of our young people needed to be hoisted in and out of the pool and also required the bed changing facility. Many of the pools labelled as hydro pools are lacking these facilities. When this pool closed we were unable to access hydrotherapy from anywhere else.”

Campaigners met with Cornwall Council officers and Cabinet member Sarah Preece, who is responsible for leisure facilities, and urged them to consider supporting proposals to reopen the St Austell pool.

The council last week set its latest budget proposals which include up to £200,000 in capital funding to help get the hydrotherapy pool reopened.

Whilst the money does not guarantee that the pool will reopen it will help carry out work which could see it back in use. A full business case will be required before any decision is made on opening the pool.

Independent Cornwall councillor Julian German has long been a supporter of the campaign to get a hydrotherapy pool provided in Cornwall.

At the full council meeting on Tuesday he thanked councillors across the council chamber for supporting a motion to explore the reopening of the hydrotherapy pool.

He said: “I want to thank Cllr Preece for taking the time to listen and understand, to make the space to see how we can live our values and improve the lives of our residents.

“Thank you to Cllr Preece and the Cabinet more broadly for bringing forward a budget with the inclusion of £200,000 in the leisure capital programme for the hydrotherapy pool at St Austell Leisure Centre.

“I appreciate that there is still a long way to go, but this is a really positive step.”