LOUGHTON: School hydrotherapy pool near completion (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

LOUGHTON: School hydrotherapy pool near completion

11:06am Friday 3rd September 2010 in Your Local Areas By Edmund Tobin

A SPECIAL school's dream of a brand new hydrotherapy pool has almost come true now work has formally begun on the project.

Oak View School, in Whitehills Road, Loughton, gave itself an 18 month deadline to raise £220,000 towards the pool near the end of last year, and it looks like the money will come in ahead of schedule.

More than £200,000 has currently been raised towards the pool, which will provide much-needed relief to pupils with physical health problems, and with planning permission also secured, work has already begun on the facility.

Deputy head Dianne Ryan said: “It's just amazing. People have been so supportive and we couldn't have done it without them. Every little has helped from people who donated £10 to others who donated £10,000.

“People have been really great. The staff at Oak View have been great, the pearly kings and queens have been fantastic and various charities have helped. The Roundtable were one of the first to offer £30,000.

“We had a summer fete which raised a couple of thousand and we have had a grant from the county council who have been very supportive. It looks like we'll be completed in December.”

The hole for the new pool has already been dug, and contractors are due to start soon on building the changing rooms.

Mrs Ryan said: “The pool will make a fantastic difference to the curriculum here and to the lives of the children. Some of them need a lot of help with arthritis and this will this will make a lot of difference to their lives. Loughton in general will benefit as a community from this.”

The school's next fund-raising event, which it hopes will push it over the final line, will be a charity gala night at the Metropolitan Police Sports Club, in Chigwell High Road, on Friday, October 8, at 7pm.

The evening will include a buffet, live entertainment and charity auctions, and tickets priced £35 are available from the school by calling 020 8508 4293.