A SUCCESSFUL trip to the bookies for Justin Tomlinson has resulted in a welcome donation for the team at the Thamesdown Hydrotherapy Pool.

The North Swindon MP gave his backing to Portugal in the recent European football championships and came out on top, walking away with winnings of £210.

This is not the first time that Justin Tomlinson has bet on sporting occasions in the hope of securing funds for charities, with the 'free bet' provided by bookmakers William Hill.

However for the first five years that he was an MP he didn’t have much luck – in fact he lost every time.

Earlier this year he was able to break that losing streak and give a cheque to Swindon Down’s Syndrome Group.

Having seen a number of similar facilities in action during his time as the Minister for Disabled People, Justin thought the hydrotherapy pool was an obvious choice for his most recent success.

He said: “I’m delighted to support this fantastic local charity, I’ve met so many people that have benefited from their wonderful facility.

“I’m very conscious how hard they all work to fundraise.”

The gesture is a welcome boost for the pool, which like many charitable organisations, is finding it increasingly difficult to attract as much funding as they would like given the challenging financial climate.

Pool manager Neil Montgomery said: “It was a nice surprise, we’ve very grateful.

“Without Justin and others doing these things we wouldn’t be able to keep going – we would struggle without donations to help.

“It’s got harder over the years to fundraise. Every cause out there is a good cause but a lot of people who use our pool do see the benefits and then go out of their way to make sure we’re still here.”

Neil added that as well as donations, getting the word out about the pool so that more people can come and use it would also be a great help.

“Everyone in Swindon will know somebody who could benefit from this pool,” he said.

“It’s just a matter of giving us a call and we can see how we can help.”

One such person is 18-year-old Kamya Gopal, who is interning in Justin’s office before heading off to Exeter University.

She said: “About ten years ago my mum came here for two years – she was involved in a car accident and had problems with her neck as a result.

“The pool really helped her to recover.”

When Kamya heard that the pool was going to be receiving a donation she jumped at the chance to come along.

She said: “It’s nice to see the way it has developed and to know that other people are still getting the chance to benefit from it the way my mum did.”