Wellbeing Get Together – Dolphins Swimming
Our Wellbeing Get Together for March was a trip to Surrey Sports Park in Guildford to join the Dolphins swimming group. 7 Coalition and IMHN members and Coalition staff met at the Sports Park with 4 people choosing to swim. Ian investigated the accessibility for his needs and was happy to confirm that he will be returning with a friend for a future session. That’s one thing to remember for our Wellbeing Get Togethers – if you are unsure if an activity is right for you, you are very welcome to come along and see what’s involved first!
The Sports Park is very accessible throughout, with 3 accessible changing areas, accessible toilets and showers as well as poolside equipment. The swimming pool is an Olympic size 50m pool which is split up on a Friday with the Dolphins group using a quarter of the pool. This meant that there was plenty of space for everyone to swim in the way that best suited them. There are several methods of accessing the water: ladder steps, shallow gradual steps with handrail, a hoist chair and a pool pod. Pool pods are a platform that you can walk or wheel onto which then lower into the water (operated either by the user or a helper) enabling you to swim away. There are adaptable wet chairs available for poolside and pod use.
We were in the pool for around 40 minutes with several lengths being swum and plenty of time to rest and chat between lengths. Then it was time to get out and our thoughts turned to refreshments! Once everyone was changed we headed upstairs (lifts available) to the pitchside café where we enjoyed coffee, a fine selection of cake and a good natter before heading home with our spirits lifted!
Coalition member Jonathan said:
“After a short spell of stomach problems, a swim today really boosted my morale. I felt much refreshed and comfortable. It was the first time that I had been able to visit the facilities at Surrey Sports Park. Navigational support from Guy and Katy was much appreciated. It was a great bonus which would only have been possible by virtue of being a Coalition member!”
